David Ross is staring at another winter where the managerial market seems to be looking everywhere except his direction.
The latest blow came when the Philadelphia Phillies kept Don Mattingly, locking him into a two-year deal through 2028 as they try to keep their window from slamming shut. That move takes one of the clearer opening off the board and makes Ross’ path back to a big-league dugout even slimmer.
Ross, who was let go by the Cubs in Nov. 2023 when Jed Hoyer moved quickly to hire Craig Counsell, hasn’t managed or coached since. Instead, he has spent recent years as an MLB analyst for ESPN. His best chance right now looks like Seattle, where the Mariners moved on from Dan Wilson at the end of the season and are believed to want a manager with experience.
Mariners are casting wide net for their managerial job, a plum job due to talent, city, potential. Joe Espada, Rocco Baldelli, Brandon Hyde, David Ross are among possible candidates who’d fit preference for experience. Seattle received permission on Espada, as @Feinsand said
- Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 13, 2026
Even with that opening, Ross seems to be standing behind a few others in the line. Joe Espada, who was dismissed after the Houston Astros were swept by the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card Series, is viewed as a stronger candidate despite the ugly ending in Houston. The thought around him is that his reputation as a manager is still solid.
Rocco Baldelli and Brandon Hyde are also on that list, and both have managed in MLB more recently than Ross. Seattle’s expectations are also high after a 2025 season that ended one win shy of the American League pennant, followed by a big step backward in 2026. Whoever gets the job will be expected to steady things right away.
Ross did have one chance to get back into coaching after the Cubs dismissed him, but he turned down an opportunity to join Aaron Boone’s staff. Since then, he has gone three full seasons without being in a dugout, and while plenty of jobs have changed hands across the league, his name has only surfaced loosely in those openings.
He was the Cubs’ choice to follow Joe Maddon after the club moved on from the manager who delivered the 2016 title. Ross managed Chicago for four seasons and finished with a regular-season record of 262-284. The Cubs won the NL Central in the shortened 2020 season, then were swept by the Marlins in the first round of the playoffs, and they never made the postseason again under his watch.
His final season ended with a rough September collapse that knocked the Cubs out of playoff position. Unless the industry’s view of Ross changes or he opens himself up to a different kind of opportunity, the odds keep pointing toward the same uncomfortable possibility: the dugout may be moving on without him.
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