For Craig Counsell, the chance to manage the Cubs was one he couldn’t pass up
CHICAGO — Craig Counsell didn’t answer the phone when the Chicago Cubs called about their manager job. Once he realized the number belonged to President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer, he quickly got in touch.
After that, things unfolded in a hurry. The Cubs introduced Counsell as their 56th manager on Monday, one week after they lured him away from the Milwaukee Brewers with a record contract and fired David Ross in a pair of surprising moves. He became the majors’ highest paid manager with a five-year deal worth more than $40 million.
“I called him back,” Counsell said. “And he indicated the Cubs had interest, discussed some generalities of what was going on, my schedule. I was interested, but cautious. I suggested we get together that day because I was going to New York the next day. My process was getting very fast, so we got together later that day.”
The interview took place at Hoyer’s home. The only other Cubs personnel who knew about it were chairman Tom Ricketts and general manager Carter Hawkins.
“It was a little bit of a shot in the dark and I didn’t think it was very likely,” Hoyer said.
Having the interview at his home was a first for Hoyer. But then again, this was a rare opportunity to land one of the top managers, though the circumstances were familiar. The Cubs hired Joe Maddon and fired Rick Renteria following the 2014 season, when they thought they were on the cusp of contending.
Hoyer was the general manager back then, with Theo Epstein running baseball operations. Maddon led the Cubs to four straight playoff appearances, including a World Series championship in 2016 that ended a 108-year drought, and a 471-339 record in five seasons.
Ross was 262-284 in four seasons and led the Cubs to the NL Central title in 2020 — his first year. They were in contention for a wild card this year and finished 83-79 after back-to-back losing seasons.
