Cubs third-base coach Will Venable has been named Red Sox bench coach

Will Venable, who has been a key part of the Cubs coaching staff for three seasons and who interviewed for the manager’s job when David Ross was hired, is leaving the team:

Venable, who turned 38 last month, played nine years in the major leagues for the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers from 2008-16, hitting .249/.315/.404 with 81 home runs in 967 games. He’s been a very highly-regarded coach in the Cubs organization, serving as first-base coach in 2018 and 2019 and third-base coach this past season.

So, the Cubs will search for a replacement. At this juncture I don’t know who that would be. This is pure speculation on my part, but it’s possible Mike Napoli, who served as quality control coach in 2020, could be promoted to a base-coach position. Napoli is a longtime friend and teammate of Ross.

Lastly, Will Venable’s dad is Max Venable, who played 12 big-league seasons for the Giants, Expos, Reds and Angels from 1979-91.