Craig Counsell Joins Cubs - Photo by AP's Nam Y. Huh
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – As the Milwaukee Brewers continue their search for their next manager, their former manager Craig Counsell was introduced to the Chicago media as the Cubs’ new manager on Monday afternoon.
Counsell spoke about what exactly sold him about the Cubs over the Mets or Brewers, saying, “From a baseball standpoint, I think I saw quickly that the organization is just in great health, and Jed presented a very compelling vision of that,” Counsell said. “It is the right time to be a Cub. There is momentum happening here, and it feels close. And that means there’s a really exciting future ahead of us. Now it’s my job to be part of taking us to the next level, and that’s the plan.”
Chicago signed Counsell to a record-setting five-year contract earlier this month worth $8 million per year, which is more than double what the Brewers were paying him before his contract expired.
During the press conference, Counsell stated that he’d been thinking about a new challenge for a long time and that it’s “scary” to move on after 17 years in Milwaukee, and he admitted that he underestimated the rivalry among Brewers fans, feeling like he just went to “the other side.”
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brewers GM Matt Arnold stated that bench coach Pat Murphy “is in very real discussion” to take over for Counsell, but other candidates such as former Marlins manager Don Mattingly, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, and Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker.
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