The Chicago Cubs’ new manager – hey, that’s still a thing! – David Ross just met with the media at the Winter Meetings, and the full press conference is available here, and at the bottom of this post.
It wasn’t earth-shattering stuff, and Ross is still getting his feet under him in this particular role, but the fit for the present moment is pretty obvious once again. Ross is going to be surrounded by talented coaches – he was over the moon about all of them – and, presumably, talented players. His job is going to be to get the most out of all of them by being the central point in that clubhouse. Keep a foot on someone’s ass when necessary. Lighten the mood when necessary. Set up others around him to help the players when necessary. And, of course, work closely with the front office and R&D, serving as a human conduit, when necessary.
Of course, Ross led off addressing rumors about trades out there. He says you try to look at the big picture, even as you wish you could have more players like Kris Bryant than fewer. The rumors aren’t always as true as they might seem, he says, and he knows that more as he gets increasingly behind the curtain, so to speak. He also doesn’t expect to be the one really making those roster decisions, however, because that’s Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s world.
Ross gave lots of love for what Willson Contreras already is, and what he can be with a little more work on some aspects of his game (presumably the work behind the plate, with new catching coach Craig Driver on the way). He also conceded that he’ll have to have some come-to-Jesus-type conversations with some guys as Spring Training approaches – not in a negative way, but being honest with guys he already knows well, and share where he’s coming from.