The Chicago Cubs have hired Craig Counsell to be their next manager, according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Rosenthal reports that Counsell will be the highest-paid manager in MLB history, getting a five-year, $40 million deal from the Cubs.
Counsell will replace David Ross as the manager, who was hired in the 2019 offseason. Ross managed the Cubs from 2020-2023, where he made the playoffs once, which was during the COVID-19 shortened season.
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It was originally reported that Counsell was between the Mets and the Brewers. However, the Mets decided to hire Carlos Mendoza, and then Jon Heyman reported Counsell would join a team with “a current manager.”
Counsell was the manager of the Brewers from 2015-2023. He has reached the postseason five times in eight seasons, going as far as Game 7 of the 2018 National League Championship Series.
The Brewers went 92-70 in 2023 and won the NL Central. They were knocked out of the playoffs in two games by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wildcard round.
The decision to join the Cubs is shocking. The original teams reported in the mix for Counsell were the Mets, Brewers, Astros, and Guardians.
However, Chicago is close to home for Counsell. The two-time World Series champion is originally from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, which is an hour and fifty minutes away from Chicago.
