ANDhe manager David Ross and the Chicago Cubs agreed on Friday to extend his contract through the 2024 season, which includes the option for the team to extend it to 2025.
In the two years since he was hired to replace Joe Maddon, Ross is 105-117 with a postseason appearance.
The manager, who turns 45 next week, helped the team get ahead in the face of the challenges imposed by the pandemic in 2020, leading Chicago to a 34-26 record and the championship title National League Central Division in a shortened season before the Cubs were swept in two games by Miami in the wild-card series. Last season, Chicago was in first place before hitting a slump that led the team to dismantle its core of players and finish with a mark of 71-91.
Chicago went from being the division leader with a record of 42-33 after Zach Davies and the bullpen combined for a no-hitter over the Dodgers Los Angeles on June 24 to fall in the next 11 games in a row. That convinced his president of sports operations, Jed Hoyer, to disband the group that helped guide the Cubs to a World Series championship in 2016 to his first title in the last 108 years.
Kris Bryant was traded to San Francisco, Anthony Rizzo was sent to the New York Yankees and Javier Báez headed to the New York Mets before the July 30 trade deadline rather than risk losing them as free agents. And Chicago finished with its worst record since he won just 66 games in 2013.