Craig Counsell’s next destination came from out of the blue.
After being pursued by the Mets, Counsell is leaving the Brewers for their NL Central rival Cubs, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal first reported and The Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed.
The Cubs are giving Counsell a five-year contract worth $40 million, Sherman reported — the biggest managerial contract in MLB history.
Counsell is replacing David Ross, the beloved member of their 2016 championship team that broke the franchise’s more-than 100-year World Series drought, who had been managing the Cubs since 2020.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Ross was signed through 2024 with a club option for 2025, and owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had previously indicated he’d be back next year.
Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio wasn’t thrilled to be losing his longtime manager.
“We’re all here today because we lost Craig,” Attanasio said on a conference call, “but I’ve reflected on this — Craig has lost us and he’s lost our community also. It’s really a special place to be.”
Despite being in one of the game’s smallest markets, the Brewers have made the playoffs five of the past six seasons with Counsell as skipper.
However, since they were tied at three games each with the Dodgers in the 2018 NLCS, the Brewers have gone 1-9 in their last 10 playoff games.
Because he grew up in Milwaukee and is raising his family in the area, there had been thought that it would take a very compelling financial package and baseball situation to lure him away.
Milwaukee and Chicago are about 90 minutes apart, so it could be conceivable that he could do some sort of hybrid living and commuting situation, without having to move his school-age kids.
The Cubs finished 83-79 this season, nine games behind the Brewers for first in the NL Central.
Counsell had been the Brewers’ manager since 2015.
The Cubs finished 83-79 this season, nine games behind the Brewers for first in the NL Central.
The Post’s Joel Sherman first reported that the Mets landed on Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza after missing out on the Counsell sweepstakes.