Cubs pull shocking move by hiring Craig Counsell as manager and firing David Ross

PHOENIX ― The Chicago Cubs pulled a stunning move on the eve of the GM meetings Monday by hiring manager Craig Counsell and immediately firing David Ross, making Counsell baseball’s highest-paid manager, his agent told USA TODAY Sports.

"Craig is thrilled to join the Chicago Cubs and hopes to establish a championship culture that will bring great success to Wrigley Field," said Barry Meister of Meister Sports Management. "It was a difficult decision to leave Milwaukee for whom he holds great love and admiration and is excited for the next chapter.

"He was also gratified that numerous teams sought his services and all recognized important reasons to value major league managers in a progressive way."

The Cubs, who began heavily recruiting Counsell on Nov. 1 immediately after his contract expired with the Milwaukee Brewers, have tentatively scheduled a Nov. 13 press conference to introduce Counsell at Wrigley Field.

Counsell, the most successful manager in Brewers history, received signed a five-year, $40 million contract from the Cubs, making him the highest-paid manager in baseball history. He also received offers from the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians before accepting the Cubs' job.

FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salaries and payrolls for every major league team

"Today we made the difficult decision to dismiss David Ross as our Major League Manager," Jed Hoyer, Cubs president of baseball operations, said in a statement. "On behalf of the Cubs organization, we express our deep gratitude for David’s contributions to our club, both on and off the field. First as a player and then as a manager, David continually showcased his ability to lead. David’s legacy will be felt in Chicago for generations and his impact to our organization will stack up with the legends that came before him.

"Going forward, our Major League team will be managed by Craig Counsell. We look forward to welcoming Craig at Wrigley Field early next week."

Ross went 262-284 (.480) as the Cubs’ manager. He led the Cubs to the 2020 NL Central title, but never returned to the postseason, collapsing in the final three weeks this season.

The Cubs are now hoping history repeats itself on the field. They fired Rick Renteria in the winter of 2014 when Joe Maddon became available and, two years later, won their first World Series championship in 86 years.

This time, they fired Ross, who was a player on that World Series winning team and had one year remaining on his contract.

Counsell, who managed the Brewers for nine years, badly wanted to reset the marketplace among managers. He was paid $3.5 million by the Brewers this past season and did not engage in contract talks during the year. The Brewers offered him a four-year, $20 million contract with incentives – $5 million a year – to stay.

It was a wild day on the managerial carousel with Cleveland hiring Stephen Vogt, who was the Seattle Mariners bullpen coach, and the Mets hiring Carlos Mendoza, the former Yankees bench coach.

The Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels still have managerial vacancies.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale