The Chicago Cubs, unfortunately, won’t participate in the MLB Postseason. The festivities begin on Tuesday afternoon, but you won’t find the North Side celebrating. Instead, after a dismal start, and even after a red-hot run, the Cubs fell short of their goal.
Cub fans have laid plenty of the blame at the feet of manager David Ross. A former World Series hero, Ross has struggled as manager for the Cubs. The team made the postseason in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season but lost in the first round to the Miami Marlins. They have not made it since, and this year’s landslide didn’t help his favorability among the fanbase.
It sounds like the Cubs don’t feel the same level of resentment. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer spoke about Ross and how he sees him with the team in the team. Megan Montemurro wrote, “Jed Hoyer on manager David Ross: ‘I was very pleased with Rossy this year. … If there are things we disagree with or things that we can do better, he’s very openminded to that. He’s constantly trying to improve. But ultimately, we’re very pleased with the job he did this year.”
Jed Hoyer on manager David Ross: "I was very pleased with Rossy this year. … If there are things we disagree with or things that we can do better, he's very openminded to that. He's constantly trying to improve. But ultimately we're very pleased with the job he did this year."
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) October 3, 2023
Ross isn’t the only manager who’s received something of a vote of confidence. Yankees manager Aaron Boone looks like he’ll be sticking around the Bronx despite a disappointing 2023 season. But to some, improvements have to be made. The Cubs squandered their biggest opportunity to return to the postseason yet and looked as strong as they have in a few years. But they, like so many others, will sit at home this October.