Cubs Turn Down Promising Candidate During Search for New Bench Coach

The Chicago Cubs are still looking for their new bench coach under manager Craig Counsell.

There is a ton of excitement surrounding the Chicago Cubs after aggressively hiring Craig Counsell. As it's been stated, he's widely considered as one of the best, if not the best manager in the MLB.

The Cubs made some changes to their staff, dismissing bench coach Andy Green according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

That's not surprising considering that managers normally hire their own bench coaches since that position is the right-hand man on the coaching staff.

An interesting wrinkle in this situation is that Counsell's long-time bench coach during his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers, Pat Murphy, was promoted to manager of the Brewers.

With Murphy no longer available, Chicago turned their attention to a promising candidate during this search.

First base coach of the Miami Marlins, Jon Jay, was interviewed for the position according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY.

Jay finished his first year as a coach on the staff of NL Manager of the Year winner Skip Schumaker. The 38-year-old spent 12 seasons playing in the Major Leagues, including stops with eight different teams before immediately jumping into coaching following his retirement in 2022.

He's seen as a rising star within coaching ranks and could become a manager someday.

However, Nightengale reported that the Cubs will continue their search after deciding not to move forward with Jay following their interview.

Despite being viewed very favorably within coaching circles, he only has one year of experience, so making the leap to bench coach in his second season might have been a bit premature in his career.

Chicago is looking to build their roster and compete for a championship next year following an offseason that should bring significant upgrades.

Counsell will need a buttoned-up and seasoned coaching staff to achieve what will be expected out of him and this team.