Chicago Cubs: Three takeaways from the David Ross press conference

Chicago Cubs: David Ross is not a front office “puppet”.

At least, that’s the message we heard on Monday. We know that Ross was the favorite for the job from the beginning. And we can argue whether the other candidates really had a fair chance to become the next manager of the Chicago Cubs. Still, both Theo Epstein and Ross tried to downplay the notion that Ross would be a “puppet” when asked questions about it.

At one point, Epstein gave an example of a time where Ross disagreed about how to handle a pitcher who had just been called up from the minors. How much that example, or anything else that was said on Monday, will calm fears among doubters of Ross not being willing to express disagreement when necessary remains to be seen.

"“I take this job very seriously,” Ross said. “I know there’s a lot of work ahead. But I’m so honored to be able to lead such a talented group, and I’m looking forward to that process.”"

Still, both Epstein and Ross seemed to agree that the job of a manager isn’t just to do whatever the front office says. If we believe what was said on Monday, Ross will have at least some free reign to put his own stamp on this team.

I’ll admit that I was among those who were skeptical about hiring David Ross to manage the Chicago Cubs. While I still believe he has plenty to prove, overall I liked what I saw at Monday’s press conference. Now comes the hard part: getting to work for the 2020 season.