Cubs president Jed Hoyer defends firing David Ross for Craig Counsell: ‘This is no knock on Rossy’

The day after his wonder dismissal of David Ross as supervisor and his much more shocking hiring of former Brewers skipper Craig Counsell to be successful him, Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer fielded questions on the ones twin selections. 

The Cubs made the strikes on Monday, and it used to be surprising for two number one causes. First, Ross had led the Cubs out in their rebuild into wild-card competition this season with an 83-97 file. The strides had been such that proprietor chairman Tom Ricketts gave Ross a de-facto vote of confidence after the regular season ended. As smartly, Ross used to be underneath contract for 2024 with a membership choice for 2025. Beyond that, the Cubs had been by no means part of the Counsell suite of rumors main as much as the verdict. Instead, he used to be assumed certain for the Mets or again to the Brewers and even to the Guardians, with whom he additionally interviewed. 

The Cubs-Counsell pairing thus got here in combination temporarily and rapidly, and in keeping with Hoyer it used to be within the identify of making improvements to the crew. “My job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and the long term,” Hoyer advised newshounds, including Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, on Tuesday, “and there was nothing about this move that didn’t feel like met that criteria.”

Without query, Counsell is certainly on the most sensible of his craft – tactically, with regards to stable demeanor, and in relation to working a clubhouse. His popularity around the league speaks to this, as does his sustained file of luck with the small-budget Brewers. 

Still, implicit within the booting of Ross for Counsell is that Ross wasn’t the perfect are compatible for the process shifting ahead. On that subject, Hoyer said: 

“This is no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of, but Craig is at the very top of the game. It’s hard to rank managers but he’s at the very top of the game.”

The alternate used to be most probably awkward and uncomfortable in execution, however Hoyer possibly do not need given Counsell the biggest managerial contract in MLB historical past had he no longer believed he would make the Cubs higher than Ross would. That’s a defensible stance, but it surely comes with power for that assumed improve to be borne out within the standings.