*Photo from Bleacher Report*
No one in the baseball world saw this coming. The Chicago Cubs have fired manager David Ross after 4 seasons at the helm and hired Craig Counsell away from the division rival Milwaukee Brewers to replace him.
After the Cubs fell short of the postseason due to a poor month of September, they poached one of baseball's best managers away from a division rival in Counsell. The Cubs and Counsell agreed to a 5 year contract that pays him over $8 million a season, making him the highest paid manager in baseball.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said in a statement that "Today we made the difficult decision to dismiss David Ross. On behalf of the Cubs organization, we express our deep gratitude for David's contributions to our club, both on and off the field. First as a player and then as a manager, David continually showcased his ability to lead."
The Cubs reportedly waited until after November 1, when Counsell's contract with the Brewers expired, to reach out to him about becoming their manager. If they were to do so before November 1, they would have had to ask the Brewers for permission to talk to him.
Counsell was known to have met with the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets about a managerial position, as both teams asked the Brewers for permission to interview him. The Brewers had reportedly offered Counsell $5.5 million per year to remain with the team.
Leading the Brewers for 9 seasons, Counsell had a 707-625 record, good for a .531 winning percentage. In the past 6 years, Counsell has led the Brewers to 5 playoff appearances and 3 NL Central titles.
Meanwhile, Ross is out as Cubs manager after taking over before the Covid shortened 2020 season. In 4 seasons in the dugout, he guided the Cubs to a 262-284 record as the team was going through a rebuild in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the Cubs finished with an 83-79 record, missing the playoffs by one game.
Ross is under contract through 2024 with the Cubs and had a team option for the 2025 season. The Cubs had a roller coaster 2023, falling under .500 in June before winning 50 of 78 games to get in the playoff hunt. A 12-16 month of September saw them ultimately fall short of the playoffs.
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