With the Chicago Cubs not making the MLB Playoffs, there was criticism aimed at manager David Ross for the late season collapse.
After once being able to control their own destiny by winning, their brutal losing streak cost them a chance at playing postseason baseball.
Questions have circulated about whether or not Ross is the guy moving forward for the Cubs and if they'll look to replace him.
As it stands right now, the organization has no plans to go in another direction after there was heavy support from Chicago's chairman Tom Ricketts.
It also seems like Ross has the support of his players as well, with many of them jumping to his defense.
Veteran pitcher Kyle Hendricks told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, "It comes down to the players at the end of the day. We're the ones that win and lose the ballgames. He's just such a great leader of men and gets the confidence, gets the best out of everybody in here. Everybody loves going out there and playing for him and giving him our best. But we just want to win for him. That's it."
Cody Bellinger, Dansby Swanson and others developed a close relationship with Ross during their first season with the team this year.
The manager plans to sit down with players so he can learn from the failures and fix things going forward.
When asked about that meeting, Swanson said, "I think he'll probably be critical of himself. But that's just something that's going to help us continue to grow and get better, is his willingness to get better, which obviously bleeds over into the players."
Ross isn't ducking criticism either. He's fully embracing his role in the failure of missing the postseason.
"I’m the head of the team, I’m the manager of this team, the blame should come on me first," he said. "I know the expectation here, and hold myself to a higher standard than where we're at."
Veteran catcher Yan Gomes, who is one of the leaders in the clubhouse, also voiced his support.
"He's at the leadership helm for a reason. We all turn to him," he said.
With the backing of the organization and players, it's very likely that he'll be back for 2024 when they focus on getting into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
"We just want to go further. We want him to be managing in the playoffs," Hendricks emphasized.
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