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Seattle Mariners Manager Update: ESPN Insider Makes Case For David Ross
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- Seattle Mariners Manager Update: ESPN Insider Makes Case For David Ross
Buster Olney speaks on the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast. Subscribe on YouTube!
As the MLB Playoffs roll on for five teams, the managerial search rolls on for the Seattle Mariners , who are looking to replace Dan Wilson. He was let go following a disappointing 76-86 season that saw the Mariners miss the playoffs just one year after making a run to the American League Championship Series.
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At this point, we've heard no names publicly connected to the Mariners managerial job, so we've been left to speculate on possible candidates, including David Ross, who formerly managed the Chicago Cubs .
The David Ross file
Now 49 years old, Ross was a 15-year veteran of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox , Atlanta Braves and Cubs. A catcher, he was mostly a backup player, but his strong understanding of the game and clubhouse presence certainly helped him stick around.
He won World Series titles with the 2013 Red Sox and the 2016 Cubs, getting named as the Cubs manager in 2020, just four years after he retired.
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With the Cubs, he went 262-284 over four seasons (2020-23), and he only made the playoffs one time, which came in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. However, it's fair to note that the Cubs broke apart quickly after he got there. The 2021 Cubs traded away Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, leaving him with a rebuilding team.
He had the Cubs back to a respectable 83-79 in 2023, but he was jettisoned unceremoniously when the Cubs whisked Craig Counsell away from the Milwaukee Brewers. Most people felt that how the Cubs handled the situation was unfair to Ross.
Ross is currently working with ESPN on game broadcasts, which has kept him around the sport. He maintains a strong reputation.
What the experts are saying
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney works with Ross, and he made a great case for him on the latest 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast:
"So, you know, and I am biased because I work with David Ross all year as a broadcast partner. I did three ' Baseball Tonight's ' with him last week. Super fun.
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The thing about Rossi that I think is outstanding is that he has that dollop of humility that you and I have talked about that's a common denominator among so many successful people in the sport. Right?
And there's a little bit of a chip on his shoulder too, where you can feel, I mean, the way that his tenure with the Cubs ended, with Craig Counsell being hired out of left field, no one expected it to happen. And then basically, while David was still under contract, one they finished the hiring of Craig Counsell, then they fired David.
I'm sure for Rossi, that didn't land very well with how it played out. But Rossi, having been in the Cubs organization, he's fluent in analytics. He is well aware of all that. He also has the personality of a catcher. And we've seen so many former catchers become managers. He can speak pitching, he can speak hitting, and he's a culture guy...
And I'm sure that for the Mariners, restoring the culture back to a place where the players are helping each other is going to be a factor. And I think that's one of the things that David Ross does well."
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Jerry Dipoto has indicated that there's no rush to get a hire made and that the search for the next manager will be "exhaustive," but you have to think that the M's would like a new manager hired by the time the new league year starts, which is five days after the World Series ends.
