Former Cubs Skipper Mentioned as Someone Nationals Could Hire as Bench Coach

This could be a great hire for the Washington Nationals.

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Now that the MLB offseason is officially underway, Washington Nationals fans will likely have most of their attention on free agency.

With the potential to upgrade the roster under first-year president of baseball operations Paul Toboni and first-year manager Blake Butera, the fanbase should have their fingers crossed that owner Mark Lerner will open up the checkbook a bit this winter.

However, some other important decisions are going to be made when it comes to filling out a staff around Butera. Because he has very little experience as a skipper and he's never been in a major league clubhouse as a coach, it's imperative the Nationals get these hires right.

David Ross Mentioned as Possible Bench Coach for Nationals

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That's why both the Locked on Nationals Podcast and Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball mentioned David Ross, the former Chicago Cubs manager, as someone who could be a perfect fit alongside Butera in the nation's capital.

"He has seen it all both as a player and as a manager. ... Ross is also a name with a lot of cache around the league. He is one of those guys who just demands respect. The 48 year old also knows what it is like to be a manager, as well as a player. He would do a great job creating a culture and furthering Butera's vision," Sallick wrote.

It's hard to argue with that. During Ross' playing days, he was a widely respected catcher who played a huge part in the Cubs ending their longstanding World Series drought in 2016. Ross also won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox three years prior, putting together clutch hits and elite work behind the plate as Jon Lester's personal catcher.

Why David Ross Makes Sense for Nationals

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What Washington needs around Butera is experience, and Ross has that in an MLB clubhouse and then some. Not only did he play 15 years in the bigs, but following stints as a special assistant for Chicago and then a color analyst for ESPN after he retired following the 2016 season, he was hired by the Cubs to be their manager ahead of the 2020 campaign.

Ross led his former club to the playoffs by winning the division during his first year on the job. And while it fizzled out at the end and he was replaced by Craig Counsell, that doesn't mean he wouldn't bring valuable experience to Butera's staff.

Because of that, it wouldn't be surprising to see Toboni pursue Ross to become the teams' bench coach. The two overlapped during Ross' second stint with the Red Sox from 2013-14, so that would also be yet another Boston connection that came to Washington.