The Chicago Cubs’ roster might look very different in 2022, considering that the president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, recently promised the team would have an active free agency. But one thing that won’t change is their manager.
Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Hoyer said that the Cubs intend to keep manager David Ross with the franchise for “a long time” and revealed that there were already contract extension negotiations between the two sides.
“We’ve had some preliminary discussions on an extension,” Hoyer said. “Our hope is that David is here for a long time.”
Hoyer also added that Ross has done “a fantastic job as manager” and praised the 44-year-old pro for learning “a ton on the job.”
The Cubs plummeted to a 71-91 record in 2021, but a major part of that was Hoyer’s decision to trade away some of the team’s key players who were impending free agents. The list of departures included shortstop Javier Baez, third baseman Kris Bryant, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
Chicago took a gamble on David Ross in 2020, hiring him to replace Joe Maddon even though he had no previous managerial experience. This paid off right away, as Ross led the franchise to an NL Central title and playoff appearance in the shortened 2020 MLB season. The Cubs ended up being eliminated in the NL wild-card game.
