The Cubs made the unorthodox decision last week to hire a new manager without an open manager position. Last Monday, news broke that the team offered Craig Counsell a record-breaking contract to lead the team before any announcement was made that the team had fired David Ross.
Counsell was available since his previous contract with the Brewers had expired and the Cubs pounced at the opportunity to add someone who is widely regarded as one of the best leaders in the game. That’s just the nature of the business sometimes, and apparently there’s no bad blood between Counsell and Ross.
“David is a very good man,” Counsell said in his introductory press conference on Monday.
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Counsell said that Ross texted him before the news of the manager change broke. Counsell called Ross back immediately.
“We had what I think was a very good conversation,” Counsell said. “I’ve always had great respect for David. That gave me the ultimate respect for David, the way he handled the conversation.
“Part of this business is really difficult and it’s really cutthroat. As a player, I’ve lived it, David’s lived it. Every player lives it every day. I respect the heck out of David Ross.”
The Cubs signed Counsell to a five-year, $40 million contract. Both the average annual values and total cash in the deal are MLB records.
