Cubs 3B Coach Will Venable Joining Red Sox as Bench Coach

It was only a matter of time before Will Venable moved into a bigger coaching role, it’s just too bad it won’t be with the Cubs. According to Ian Browne, Red Sox beat writer for MLB.com, the now-former Cubs third base coach is joining Alex Cora‘s staff as the bench coach.

Will Venable should officially be named bench coach of the Red Sox within next day or two. He was one of several candidates who was interviewed for managerial position. He was Cubs third base coach.

— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) November 18, 2020

Venable joined the Cubs organization as a special assistant to the front office late in 2017, almost exactly one year after playing his final professional game as a member of the Oklahoma City Dodgers. Familiar with Jed Hoyer from their time in San Diego and possessed of the Ivy League pedigree — he starred on the diamond and the basketball court at Princeton — front offices covet, Venable was a natural fit in Chicago.

He moved down to the field as the first base coach in 2018 and ’19, then moved across the diamond this past season under David Ross. In addition to directing traffic on the bases, Venable worked with Cubs outfielders on their defense and served as a general mentor in the clubhouse.

This would be a blow under any circumstances, but it may be even bigger for a Cubs team that is likely to slash payroll and lean more heavily on unproven talent and/or a patchwork roster. While the possibility exists that they can’t or won’t facilitate big turnover, the writing on the wall sure seems to indicate otherwise.