Craig Counsell, who received offers from various Major League Baseball (MLB) teams during the off-season, has decided his next move. Counsell’s destination is the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs decided to recruit Counsell as their manager on the 7th (Korean time). MLB.com also reported Counsell’s move to the Cubs.
The Cubs replaced their former manager, David Ross, with Counsell. Counsell agreed to a contract with the Cubs for five years, for a total of $40 million.
With this, Counsell becomes the highest-paid manager in the MLB (5 billion won). Counsell made his MLB debut in 1995, wearing the Colorado Rockies uniform.
After which, he played for the Florida Marlins (now Miami), LA Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks and retired after the 2011 season with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Counsell served as a special assistant to the general manager in Milwaukee, gaining front-office experience, and moved to the position of Milwaukee’s manager in 2015, leading the team until this season. He held the reins for nine seasons in Milwaukee, achieving a record of 707 wins and 605 losses.
During this time, he led the team to the postseason five times and won the National League Central Division three times. They also won the Central Division in this regular season but were eliminated in the first round of the ‘Fall Baseball’ Wild Card Series by Arizona.
Counsell’s contract with Milwaukee ended, and before signing with the Cubs, he interviewed with the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians.
The Cubs recorded 83 wins and 79 losses this season, conceding the National League Central Division first place to Milwaukee (92 wins and 70 losses) and failing to make the postseason due to falling behind in the Wild Card race.
By. Ryu Han Jun
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