Cubs' Jed Hoyer Explains Decision to Hire Craig Counsell, Fire David Ross as Manager

The Chicago Cubs have missed the playoffs the last three years and are looking to change that in "the short term and the long term."

That is why they hired Craig Counsell as their new manager and fired David Ross in the process.

"My job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and the long term and there was nothing about this move that didn't feel like it met that criteria," president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters Tuesday.

He also said, "This is no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of, but Craig is at the very top of the game. It's hard to rank managers, but he's at the very top of the game."

Counsell managed the National League Central-rival Milwaukee Brewers the past nine years and led them to a 707-625 record and five playoff appearances. The Brewers won the division in two of the past three seasons and often overachieved against teams, such as the Cubs, with higher payrolls on the roster.

He is widely regarded as one of the game's best managers, and Chicago responded by making him the highest-paid manager in the league.

It surely wasn't lost on the front office that hiring Counsell would also be a blow to the Brewers, which is the team the Cubs are attempting to catch in the NL Central. The financial aspect of it may have also been something of a signal that the plan is to be aggressive this offseason in an effort to quickly put a winning club on the field.

Ross went 262-284 during his four seasons as Chicago's manager. The team seemed to be in position for a playoff spot this past year before a late collapse, which may have ultimately cost him his job.

The question now is which players the Cubs will add this offseason to play for Counsell.

Cody Bellinger was their top offensive player in 2023, but he is a free agent. Chicago has also been connected to Shohei Ohtani and trade rumors involving Juan Soto, so there could be another big splash at some point this offseason.

Chicago has a chance to change the balance of power in the NL Central this offseason, and Hoyer's comments suggested hiring Counsell was a part of that process.