After contending every year from 2015 to 2020 – including a World Series win in 2016 – the Chicago Cubs hit rock bottom in 2021 and started a rebuild, going 71-91 that year.
They started making the right moves regarding their farm – drafting well, stocking the organization with talent via trades, etc. – and the major league roster and improved to 74-88 in 2022.
This year, however, marked the return of contention for the Cubs and the demanding fanbase.
They went 83-79 and were actually very close to making the postseason.
The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Miami Marlins, who secured playoff berths via the Wild Card, were both 84-78.
The Cubs are coming: they will need to replace Cody Bellinger (or re-sign him), sure, but they have other stars signed for the long-term, a strong farm, and an elite manager now: Craig Counsell.
Counsell was given a five-year, $40 million contract last week to lead the team toward taking the next step.
It’s the largest contract in MLB at the moment for a skipper, and he is seen as a motivator, a stats man, and an excellent communicator.
He was introduced as the Cubs new manager after spending the last nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers.
He had a chance to say his first words as the clubhouse leader of one of the most traditional franchises in the league.
“From a baseball standpoint, I saw quickly that the organization is just in great health. Jed (Hoyer, the Cubs head of baseball operations) presented a pretty compelling vision of that. There is momentum happening here and it feels close. That means there is a really exciting future ahead of us and now it’s my job to be part of taking us to the next level,” he said in a video uploaded via Twitter by FOX Sports: MLB.
Craig Counsell speaks for the first time as the manager of the Cubs ?
(via @WatchMarquee)pic.twitter.com/hgyvJkk1W7
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 13, 2023
In a nearly unprecedented move, the Cubs killed two birds with one stone: they acquired a top manager and left the Brewers, a division rival, without one.
It’s a sizable investment, for sure.
However, it has the potential to pay off big time.
NEXT: Numbers May Prove Why Craig Counsell Joined The Cubs
