David Ross officially became the newest Cubs manager on Monday and although there weren’t any groundbreaking takeaways from his introductory press conference we did learn that the team wants a veteran coach next to the first-time manager.
By all accounts Ross will be the one deciding who’s on his coaching staff in 2020 and the biggest change will most likely be the bench coach. Mark Loretta, who was an assistant for nearly a decade in the Padres’ front office, spent 2019 as Joe Maddon’s bench coach. It was Loretta’s first MLB coaching job.
The Cubs want some more experience in the dugout and it’s not really that difficult to make connections on who may be considered to join the coaching staff next season. I wrote about John Farrell, Fredi González and Jim Riggleman being good options, as they’ve all crossed paths with Ross during his playing career.
And guess what? Ex-Red Sox manager John Farrell is expected to be a candidate to join the Cubs this offseason.
Farrell managed the Red Sox from 2013-17 and was a part of Boston’s coaching staff from 2007-10, when Theo Epstein was still there. Farrell also managed the Blue Jays for a couple seasons and has spent the past two years working in the Reds’ scouting department.
Bruce Levine also said that at this point it’s unclear if Will Venable and Brian Butterfield will come back as Cubs coaches next year. Levine also mentioned Fredi González and Jim Riggleman as potential options for the Cubs.
