Ryan Flaherty leaving Padres to be Cubs’ bench coach
The Cubs employ Ryan Flaherty as Craig Counsell’s bench coach: Source
By Brittany Ghiroli, Sahadev Sharma, and Dennis Lin.
Ryan Flaherty will be the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs under new manager Craig Counsell, a league source confirmed Wednesday.
Flaherty worked under Bob Melvin with the San Diego Padres for the past year. He had a year left on his contract, but he was allowed to look for other roles after the Padres hired Mike Schildt as their manager.
Flaherty, a well-liked coach, was anticipated to take over in San Diego after Melvin left to manage the Giants. The Padres, led by general manager A.J. Preller, declined a request from the New York Mets to interview Flaherty for the available bench coach post in January 2022. It was evident then that Flaherty, 37, was highly valued and regarded as a promising coach.
Not much turnover was originally expected for the Cubs coaching staff, but that was before the Cubs hired Counsell and fired David Ross earlier this month. While some staff is expected to return, bench coach was always viewed as a spot for likely turnover.
Andy Green, who served as bench coach during Ross’ four years as manager, was given the option of joining the coaching staff or working in the Cubs’ front office. Instead, he’ll join the Mets’ front office to oversee player development under new team president David Stearns.
With Green gone and Counsell’s former bench coach Pat Murphy hired as his replacement in Milwaukee, there was no clear option for Counsell’s bench coach position. However, after speaking with Counsell several times, Flaherty soon emerged as the top candidate, and subsequently the choice, for the position this week.
After a four-year stint at Vanderbilt, where he played alongside current Cubs GM Carter Hawkins, Flaherty was picked by the Cubs in 2008. After four years in the organization, the versatile infielder was taken by the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 draft. Flaherty played the next six seasons with the Orioles before finishing his eight-year career with stops in Atlanta and Cleveland. Soon after retiring, he was hired by the Padres as an advanced scout and developmental coach.
What Flaherty brings
Flaherty was not a genuine bench coach in San Diego; that duty belonged to associate manager Ryan Christenson, but he kept the title because he was highly appreciated by Preller and others in the organization. Flaherty, who had a year left on his three-year Padres contract, established good relationships in the clubhouse, including a friendship with franchise third baseman and former Orioles teammate Manny Machado. As offensive coordinator, he was in charge of a staff of hitting coaches and offensive game planning.
The Padres, of course, were a significant disappointment on that side of the ball in 2023. While the bulk of the blame rested with the players, many of those same players and former Padres have praised Flaherty for his knowledge, work ethic and attention to detail. Flaherty also was well-liked because of an apparent lack of ego, and some team members had pushed for him to become manager after Melvin’s departure to San Francisco.
Flaherty ended up losing out to Shildt in part because of his youth and lack of managerial experience. There also were questions about whether he would be able to walk the fine line between being a first-time manager and remaining Machado’s friend. Preller and the Padres did hope to retain Flaherty as a coach on Shildt’s staff, but they could not justify blocking him from a clear promotion with the Cubs. — Dennis Lin, Padres staff writer
Counsell’s Coaching Staff
Counsell has been cautious to clarify who will return to the Cubs staff and what adjustments will be made, but this is by purpose. Counsell did not consider the Cubs until an early November contact from Jed Hoyer resulted in a surprising five-year, $40 million contract to manage in Chicago. Counsell’s rapid turnaround meant he had done minimal study on the Cubs, particularly on the coaching staff, which resulted in this methodical process.
