The Cubs hiring Craig Counsell gives the Angels a chance to pounce on David Ross

The Chicago Cubs shocked the baseball world, hiring Craig Counsell seemingly from out of nowhere to manage their team, letting go of David Ross in the process. This is a massive hire for the Cubs, but it could also lead to the next hire the Los Angeles Angels make.

Phil Nevin was let go by the Angels after a very disappointing 2023 season, leaving the Angels without a manager once again. The team has yet to hire a replacement. That replacement could very easily be the manager who lost his job from the Counsell hire, David Ross.

LA Angels should seriously consider hiring David Ross to be their new manager

The Cubs hired Ross prior to the 2020 season and have had their ups and downs since bringing him in. Chicago made the playoffs in the shortened season but failed to do so in any of the following three years. While the Cubs missing the playoffs this season was disappointing when they held onto a spot for much of the second half, Ross played a key role helping that organization turn itself around. Chicago still won 83 games while missing the playoffs, a number the Angels have not hit since 2015.

Ross has proven himself to be a solid manager who players want to play for. He's been a great leader since back to his playing days, and would be an impactful hire for an Angels team desperately needing one.

The Cubs letting Ross go had absolutely nothing to do with how he was as a manager. There's a reason the Cubs didn't fire Ross publicly before the Counsell news broke. They seemed very willing to keep him around. They just saw an opportunity to pounce on one of the best managers in the game and took it.

It would've been nice for the Angels to hire a manager like Counsell, but the chances he'd ever consider a team like this were clearly never high. Landing Ross, another manager who has done fairly well, even if it's not to the level of Counsell, wouldn't be a bad consolation prize.