Hoyer on hiring Counsell: 'He's at the very, very top of the game'

This browser does not support the video element.

CHICAGO -- It was simply an opportunity that Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer could not let slip away. Given his admiration of Craig Counsell from afar, and the trajectory of a Cubs team expecting to return to the October stage next year, Hoyer decided it was the right time to make a difficult decision.

Hoyer stunned the baseball world on Monday by not only hiring Counsell to be the 56th manager in Cubs history, but also making him the highest-paid manager in baseball history. It was a sudden development that meant David Ross was dismissed after four challenging seasons in the manager¡¯s chair.

¡°It just felt like an exceptionally hard decision, but one that I felt like I had to make,¡± Hoyer told reporters at the GM Meetings on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. ¡°From my perspective, my job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and in the long term. And there was nothing about this move that I didn't feel like met that criteria.

¡°There's no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of. But I just felt like Craig is at the very, very top of the game. It's hard to rank managers, but certainly he's at the very, very top of the game.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

Counsell is set to be officially welcomed as the Cubs¡¯ new manager in a press conference at Wrigley Field early next week.

Sources told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that Counsell's pact with the Cubs is a five-year deal worth a record $40 million. The Brewers made an offer weeks ago that would have made Counsell MLB's highest-paid manager -- in the neighborhood of $5 million per year, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

While setting a new salary standard for MLB managers was part of the equation, the 53-year-old Counsell told McCalvy in a phone conversation Tuesday that he was also intrigued by the new challenge that the Cubs offered. It helped that the Wisconsin native was able to maintain his Midwest roots for his family in the process.

¡°It¡¯s a challenge with an organization that is very much in a good place and is just primed to do some special things,¡± Counsell said. ¡°That part of it certainly is exciting and alluring. You know it¡¯s a challenge. It¡¯s going to be hard. It¡¯s scary, because change is scary. But sometimes you need to push yourself out of that comfort zone and it makes it exciting.¡±

This browser does not support the video element.

Counsell was known to have also met with the Mets and Guardians about their managerial vacancies. In nine seasons with the Brewers, Counsell guided the club to three division titles, five playoff appearances (all within the past six years) and a 707-625 record (.531 winning percentage) in the regular season.

The winningest manager in Brewers history, Counsell¡¯s ability to get the most out of his roster really started to stand out to Hoyer during the 2017 season. The Cubs were the reigning World Series champions and Milwaukee was hanging with them in the division race deep into September.

¡°That team had no right to be there,¡± Hoyer said. ¡°That made us play to the last week of the season, and from a talent standpoint, that just wasn¡¯t close. That was probably the time we were like, ¡®What are they doing?¡¯¡±

The Cubs waited to reach out to Counsell until Nov. 1 -- after the manager¡¯s contract with the Brewers had expired. That removed the requisite step of asking permission from Milwaukee to interview the manager (which the Mets and Guardians did earlier in the process). That kept the Cubs¡¯ approach quiet and set the stage for the surprising deal to swiftly come to fruition.

This browser does not support the video element.

Hoyer met with Counsell, but kept the circle of people looped in on the situation extremely small. He said the former Brewers manager pushed Hoyer on explaining the Cubs¡¯ plans for 2024 and the years to come, and Chicago¡¯s front-office leader was blown away by how Counsell spoke about his approach to managing.

¡°He¡¯s unbelievably sharp. That¡¯s as simple as I can say it,¡± Hoyer said. ¡°Talking to him about clubhouse stuff, blending the clubhouse with analytics, and the best way to get the most out of people was incredibly impressive. And just his sense of what his job entails and the responsibility of his job, it really stood out to me.

¡°This guy wants to handle every single part of the process, and views that as his responsibility. And to me, that¡¯s really impressive, the way he views his chair. It¡¯s so much more than making in-game moves. He views the totality of everything as his responsibility and he talked about that in an amazingly articulate way.¡±

Ross managed the Cubs to a 262-284 (.480 winning percentage) record over the last four years, while leading Chicago to an NL Central title in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Across the 2021-22 campaigns, Ross steadied the ship as Hoyer made a series of blockbuster trades that dismantled the previous core led by Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier B¨¢ez and others.

¡°He was a great partner through all that,¡± Hoyer said.

Following an aggressive offseason of spending last winter -- headlined by the seven-year, $177 million contract to lure shortstop Dansby Swanson to Chicago -- the North Siders looked to be on their way to a playoff berth in ¡®23. The Cubs then dropped 15 of their final 22 games to fall out of contention.

This browser does not support the video element.

Ross, 46, was under contract through the 2024 campaign (plus a team option for ¡®25) and was praised at season¡¯s end for his work in guiding the Cubs through a turbulent summer. Both Hoyer and team chairman Tom Ricketts raved about how Ross kept the team focused all season.

The change in direction with Ross -- a beloved member of the 2016 World Series championship team -- is reminiscent of when the Cubs hired Joe Maddon away from the Rays ahead of the 2015 season. That played a role in Chicago turning the page on a rebuild and entering a stretch of four straight playoff appearances, including three consecutive trips to the National League Championship Series.

Hoyer delivered the news to Ross in person in Florida on Monday.

¡°We've been through a lot together,¡± Hoyer said. ¡°Obviously, it was a very hard emotional conversation. But I think the world of him, I think he's got an amazingly bright future. He'll clearly land on his feet and have a great career in this game for a long time. But there was like a suddenness to all of this that was unavoidable.¡±

More from MLB.com

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com