After going 14-13 to start the 2023 MLB season, the Chicago Cubs have sputtered in May. Is it time to start thinking about replacing manager David Ross?
Certainly the Cubs entered this season as a dark horse candidate to make a run at a postseason spot. While the rival St. Louis Cardinals were expected to run away with the division, their early struggles opened the door for the Cubs to hover near the top of the National League Central early in the campaign. However, the Cardinals have been on a tear lately, and their run back up the NL Central standings started at the expense of the Cubs in what became a feisty return to Wrigley Field for Willson Contreras.
While some of the moves the Cubs pulled off during the offseason have worked (Cody Bellinger), others have not (Eric Hosmer) and now it feels like Chicago needs some kind of boost on the north side to get the season back on track. Would bringing in a new manager be the right move?
Chicago Cubs: David Ross may not be on the hot seat just yet
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently highlighted some of the "in-game decision-making" from Ross in his discussion of which MLB managers currently sat on the hot seat. Rosenthal, however, doesn't believe the seat Ross occupies is too hot, especially since he is signed through the 2024 campaign with an option for 2025. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has also been very supportive of Ross in the past, even when the team has struggled.
With all of that in mind, who could be a potential replacement for Ross if the Cubs decided to go a different direction? Let's look at some options.
Chicago Cubs potential replacement for David Ross: Bench coach Andy Green
Green was hired by the Cubs before the 2020 season to serve as the team's bench coach. The move came after Green was fired by the San Diego Padres after four seasons as their manager. During that time, he compiled a 274-366 mark.
The 45-year-old Green has served as the interim skipper for the Cubs when Ross had to miss games because of COVID-19, so he's familiar with not only the team but overseeing it during game action as well. He also showed plenty of passion during his first ejection filling in for Ross.
Bench coaches are often in the mix for positions when a team is looking for a change of direction, and Green's familiarity with the players and previous managerial experience would certainly get him a look if the Cubs decided to part ways with Ross.
Chicago Cubs potential replacement for David Ross: First base coach Mike Napoli
Ross and Napoli were teammates for a pair of seasons with the Boston Red Sox and Ross reached out to Napoli to join the Cubs staff in 2019, so the move might be awkward at first, but Napoli sliding into the manager's position also makes sense on some levels.
Napoli has expressed an interest in becoming a manager someday, and the 41-year-old is already very familiar with the players and the system. A 12-year MLB veteran, Napoli would have the respect of the clubhouse as a former player.
"He's got a really good reputation in the game," Ross told The Chicago Tribune. "He's done a lot and he's somebody that, one, we have history together, we're friends, but he's also somebody that carries a lot of weight when it comes to experience in this game. That goes a long way in the dugout with the players."
Any time a managerial change happens, it has to be something that isn't too big of a shock for the players but can be enough of a spark to change things around. That's what happened with the Philadelphia Phillies last season when Joe Girardi was ousted and Rob Thomson was brought in from the bench coach position to be the interim manager. The move sparked the Phillies to the World Series.
Napoli will likely be a name that gets interviews for upcoming open managerial positions around MLB. Could the Cubs be proactive and keep him in-house if a move away from Ross is made?
Chicago Cubs potential replacement for David Ross: Former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt
Want to take the whole Cubs-Cardinals rivalry to the next level, even after all of the Contreras drama over the past few months? Replace David Ross with Mike Shildt and watch the banter up and down Interstate 55 intensify.
Shildt was let go from the Cardinals in a stunning move after logging a 252-199 mark and leading St. Louis to the postseason in each of his three full seasons in the dugout. Read this interview with Shildt and you'll see that, not only did St. Louis part ways with him over reasons that he still can't grasp to this day, but he was extremely hurt by the move, saying, "I have a broken heart. It still hurts. It hurts bad."
Now with the San Diego Padres as a senior advisor to player development and major leagues, Shildt wants to get back into managing. He's ready for a team to give him a chance to do what he did with the Cardinals — win. Could that team be the Cubs?
Imagine Shildt leading Chicago to victories over his former team and the storylines that could be written. He has the resume and the tools to do just that (and likely the revenge factor to do it as well), and bringing him in would add yet another spicy chapter to one of the best rivalries in baseball.
Shildt will undoubtedly get his chance to manage again. Will it be inside the Friendly Confines?
