CHICAGO — The Cubs have hired David Ross to be their new manager, the team announced Thursday.
Ross is getting a three-year contract with a team option for 2023, according to the Cubs. He will be officially introduced at a news conference Monday.
“We are thrilled to name David Ross as the 55th manager in franchise history,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said in a statement. “David is as gifted a leader as I’ve ever come across, and I expect him to become a great manager.”
The 42-year-old Ross beat out five other candidates to replace Joe Maddon, who was hired by the Los Angeles Angels. Ross played under Maddon in 2015 and 2016, helping the Cubs to a World Series title before becoming a member of the team’s front office and an ESPN baseball analyst.
He will be asked to manage several players he once called teammates, including Kris Bryant.
“A lot has been made, and rightfully so, of my connection to the 2016 World Series team, and the notion that I’ll now be managing players I once counted on as teammates,” Ross said in a statement. “Having those relationships going into this will be a bonus, no doubt about it. But those guys know I’ll be the first to hold them accountable, the first to demand their best daily effort and the first to let them know about it if they give anything but their best.”
Epstein said Ross’ history with the Cubs did not affect the decision to hire him as manager.
“David’s connection to the organization and his relationships with his former teammates could be assets initially, but they were not factors in our decision nor will they be critical to his long-term success in the role,” Epstein said. “He earned the job on the merits, and he will move the team forward in a new and different direction.”
Other candidates for the job included Cubs first-base coach Will Venable, bench coach Mark Loretta, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Astros bench coach Joe Espada. Espada was called in for a second interview Sunday, which included a mock news conference, a source told ESPN. Ross did the same on Monday, and he performed as expected: extremely well, the source said.
Ross was a Game 7 hero for the Cubs in 2016, hitting a World Series home run before calling it quits on his career. He also won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves.