Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde is going to be the next Orioles manager

The Baltimore Orioles are the only team still without a manager for the 2019 season.

Here’s a report that they’re about to make a hire:

Brandon Hyde has been a Cubs coach since 2014, when he was named bench coach under manager Rick Renteria. He moved to the first-base coach position under Joe Maddon in 2015 and served there through 2017, when he moved back to become bench coach again in 2018.

Obviously, if this happens the Cubs will need a new bench coach. Even more obviously, the name David Ross will be mentioned in connection with this position. Ross is currently a special assistant in the Cubs front office and Theo Epstein has already stated he wants Ross “around the team” more in 2019.

If Ross is hired for this position, speculation will likely start right away that he’ll be Joe Maddon’s successor as manager. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but we’re getting way ahead of ourselves.

Two months ago I suggested that Mike Scioscia, a close friend of Maddon’s from their days together with the Angels, could be the Cubs’ bench coach.

There will likely be other candidates. Or the Cubs could simply name Ross bench coach. Ross taking that position, of course, depends a lot on whether he wants to get back into fulltime coaching at this stage in his life. It might look like the perfect fit to us, but it’d really be up to him.

As always, we await developments.

Update:

Please note that’s not exactly a Shermanesque denial. Also, Ken Rosenthal stands by his story and Joel Sherman is confirming the story. We’re leaving the headline as it is for now.