Mets' David Stearns on Cubs Hiring Craig Counsell: 'I Didn't See That Coming'

Count New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns among those who were stunned to see the Chicago Cubs hire Craig Counsell as their new manager.

"I didn't see that coming," Stearns told reporters while expressing he still has a good relationship with Counsell even though he will be managing in Chicago instead of New York:

Part of what made the announcement so shocking is the reality that the Cubs already had a manager in David Ross. They didn't figure to be one of the teams in pursuit of Counsell since there wasn't a vacancy.

Yet the North Siders decided to fire Ross and jump at the chance to add someone who is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the league. It surely didn't hurt that the move also was a blow to the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers, who now need to find a new manager.

"This is no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of, but Craig is at the very top of the game," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told reporters Tuesday. "It's hard to rank managers, but he's at the very top of the game."

While the Mets were connected to Counsell as a potential landing spot after they fired Buck Showalter, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported the Cubs' offer "was significantly higher than" New York's.

Instead, the Mets hired former New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their new manager.

Mendoza may end up being excellent, but Counsell is a known commodity who led the Brewers to the playoffs in five of the last six seasons. They were also competing with a lower payroll than National League competitors such as the Cubs and Mets, but that didn't stop him from maximizing the production from his team.

The pressure will now be on Mendoza to help turn things around in New York, especially if he will be compared to Counsell throughout the 2024 campaign.