The Padres had believed that they had whittled their list of candidates down to three — until Ross was let go when the Cubs unexpectedly hired Craig Counsell away from the Brewers on Monday morning. Now, there’s a chance that he’ll interview for the Padres’ gig and be lumped in with Mike Shildt, Benji Gil and Ryan Flaherty as the candidates for the opening. Look for the manager carousel to continue throughout the week.

Ross, who is being replaced by Craig Counsell, had one guaranteed year left on his contract. It’s unclear if the Cubs offered him another position in the organization, but he’s definitely departing now, and it’s possible the Angels, Astros or Padres could give him a look. The 46-year-old was 262-284 in four seasons with the Cubs.

The move is now official. Kelly gets the nod to take over as the Cubs' hitting coach after Greg Brown left manager David Ross's staff at the conclusion of the regular season. He'll be joined by Jim Adduci, who has been promoted to an assistant hitting coach role for the 2023 season.

Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune adds that minor league hitting coordinator Dustin Kelly has been promoted to take his place. Brown served just one season in the hitting coach role after a stint as minor league hitting coordinator with the Rays. The Cubs have had plenty of upheaval with their hitting coach position over the past decade and will hope to find a steady voice with Kelly. Chicago was tied for 17th in MLB with a .698 OPS in 2022.