The Chicago Cubs stunned the baseball world with their reported hiring of former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, and the contract they inked him will set a new bar for skippers in the league.
According to multiple reports, including from ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Counsell’s contract with the Cubs checks in at five years and $40 million in all, giving him an annual salary of $8 million.
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That would make Counsell not just the highest-paid manager in the league, but also the highest-paid manager in baseball history, besting the $7.5 million annual salary commanded by famed New York Yankees manager Joe Torre during the heyday of the team’s dynasty in the early 2000’s.
In addition to setting an all-time record, the reported deal also rewrites the expectations for free agent managers in today’s MLB. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Terry Francona had been the highest-paid manager in baseball before his retirement, earning $4.5 million with the Cleveland Guardians.
San Diego’s Bob Melvin made $4 million during the 2023 season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. He also reported that six managers in MLB made less than $1 million in the 2023 season, with a staggering 15 managers earning $1.75 million or less.
Counsell made $3.5 million with the Brewers during his final season in Milwaukee, according to reports, while Houston’s Dusty Baker collected $3 million a year after winning the World Series. Dave Roberts, who won the 2020 title with the Los Angeles Dodgers, earned $3.25 million in the 2023 season, per Nightengale’s report.
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Multiple reports say Counsell was offered a deal by the Brewers that would have made him the highest-paid manager in baseball, but that the annual salary was far below what the Cubs ultimately offered him.