It’s officially official: Dave Martinez has left the Cubs in favor of a big-time promotion, taking the managerial job of the roster-loaded Washington Nationals.
#Nats name Dave Martinez new manager: https://t.co/hj393UdEYf pic.twitter.com/kD1AxTNGgA
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) October 30, 2017
Of the hiring decision, team President of Baseball Operations and GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com, “I am excited to bring Dave into our family. As we went through this process it became clear the type of manager we were looking for – someone who is progressive, someone who can connect with and communicate well with our players, and someone who embraces the analytical side of the game. We came away from the process feeling like there was absolutely no one better suited – who matched up to what this organization needs right now – than Dave.”
Good for Martinez. He’ll have a loaded team to steward next year, and continued sky-high expectations. The organization has still never won a playoff series.
As for the Cubs, they will now set about replacing their bench coach. And despite the unlikelihood that David Ross comes back to be that guy, I’m still gonna just park this tweet right here:
Congrats to Davey Martinez. No one more deserving than this guy. The @Nationals are going to do some amazing things under his leadership. pic.twitter.com/OsMZtmHtbX
— David Ross (@D_Ross3) October 30, 2017