On Monday, the Chicago Cubs dismissed manager David Ross and appointed Craig Counsell of the Milwaukee Brewers to take over.
According to sources who spoke with ESPN and verified a report by The Athletic, Counsell’s contract is for five years and forty million dollars, the largest pay of any MLB manager ever.
“We made the tough decision to fire David Ross as our Major League Manager today,” stated Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations for the Cubs. “The Cubs organization would like to thank David for his services to the team, both on and off the field. David consistently demonstrated his capacity to lead, first as a player and later as a manager. Generations to come will feel David’s legacy in Chicago, and he will have an even greater influence on our organization than the legends who came before him.”
The Cubs said that Counsell will be introduced early in the upcoming week.
Counsell, 53, had also been interviewed for managerial positions with the Cleveland Guardians and the New York Mets. Stephen Vogt was appointed manager of the Guardians, while sources informed ESPN’s Jeff Passan that Carlos Mendoza, the bench coach of the New York Yankees, is being hired by the Mets to be their manager.
Counsell led the Milwaukee Brewers to the postseason five times in the last six years, with a division-winning record of 92-70 in 2023. He won three NL Central titles during his nine years with the team. With the Brewers, he was 707-625 overall in the regular season and 7-12 in the postseason. His seven playoff triumphs and his seven regular-season victories stand as franchise records.
During his 16-year MLB playing career, Counsell spent two seasons (2004, 2007–11) with the Brewers. With the Florida Marlins in 1997 and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, he was a part of the World Series-winning teams, and in 2008, the Brewers made their first postseason run since 1982.
The Cubs were second behind the Brewers in last season’s standings, 83-79.