Counsell to Cubs

[HarveysWBs]

The emotions are a bit raw but, speaking only for myself, I can’t envision being in any mood to read any “Thanks, Milwaukee” ads or social media posts from him any time soon.  And if he wins a World Series in Chicago…I say forget a statue at AmFam.  Give him a plaque above a urinal somewhere, or under the foot of Uecker’s statue.

George Costanza couldn’t have liquidated as much goodwill as Craig just did in one fell swoop.  It is almost impressive, if one could be dispassionate about such things.  But that ain’t me right now.

[folly412]

43 minutes ago, MrTPlush said:

End of the day we decided to not pay a guy a record salary in times managers are worth less and less due to how the game is played statistically. We also opted to not give him a salary nearly double that of a guy who just won like his 4th World Series. 

Saying Attanasio is cheap for not giving out the biggest managerial salary in history to someone as managerial salaries crater to all-time lows makes absolutely zero logical sense. Offering him the top salary in baseball was shocking as-is.

Facts.  

The whole "resetting the market" doesn't hold up to simple supply and demand.  There are about five managers who have shown they may be worthy of big dollars versus the pay of Generic Managerial Candidate, and two of them are 68 years old and not about to be offered a 10 year deal elsewhere if their current club doesn't pay up.  T

[brewers888]

1 minute ago, MVP2110 said:

I just continue to get turned off by baseball at such a rapid pace these days. Honestly the only reason I keep watching is because it's the only sport in the summer. The Brewers are essentially the equivalent of a G5 in college football. The system is rigged for big markets

This pretty much sums it up for me. This is a franchise that has never won a World Series and the financial disparities are only getting greater by the year. I know many are happy just being competitive and thats fine but I want to win the World Series and this bite of the apple nonsense without actually winning just doesn't do it for me.

[hawing]

2 hours ago, homer said:

I don't know. But I wonder. 

On the surface, it doesn't leave a great impression of the organization at a time when the Brewers might want to have their best foot forward.  Legislators might wonder if the investment they're being asked to make is sound right now.  Between this and the prompt deflation of 2023 postseason hopes, it's unfortunate timing.

ETA: Some legislators may be able to take the longer view.  Some of the Joe/Jo Taxpayers who don't follow baseball closely will be like Don't tax me for that clown show.   

[Matt Breen]

As a manager or GM type, it has to be tiring to be constantly battling salary limitations. Sure there are salary issues in LA or NY or wherever - but it's a different sort of thing. Guys must feel hamstrung to have half the salary of a bigger market club. They watch good players leave and get traded - because they get too expensive. While it's not impossible to win in a smaller market - it is tougher. 

 

[MoreTrife]

I now have two avenues to happiness next baseball season:

1. A good Brewers season

2. A bad Cubs season. Seeing Counsell not make the playoffs or getting knocked out will be mana from heaven. That guy can piss off. 

[brewers888]

Just now, reillymcshane said:

As a manager or GM type, it has to be tiring to be constantly battling salary limitations. Sure there are salary issues in LA or NY or wherever - but it's a different sort of thing. Guys must feel hamstrung to have half the salary of a bigger market club. They watch good players leave and get traded - because they get too expensive. While it's not impossible to win in a smaller market - it is tougher. 

 

Considering one small market team has won the World Series this century I would say its pretty damn hard for a small market team to win it all.

[SRB]

Ok, bye.

Seems even crazier if it is all guaranteed, but $40 million over 5 years is still a ludicrous contract for a manager. I'm glad the Brewers didn't match and I don't blame Counsell for taking it.

Managers should not be making that much. It's so easy to replace Counsell with a guy with the exact same skill set. Only difference is we lose the hometown boy angle, but oh well.

[nate82]

I think this is also telling where CC saw the Brewers going in the future.  He can say it was about resetting the market but I think he sees that the Brewers will need to rebuild.  I don’t think he wants to be part of a rebuild.  Though choosing the Cubs is a bit confusing without them spending a ton this offseason on starters.

I think this may signal a Burnes trade and refusing to tender a contract to Woodruff.  This maybe a small reset this offseason for the Brewers.  I wouldn’t rule out a Williams trade also.

[brewers888]

Just now, SRB said:

Ok, bye.

Seems even crazier if it is all guaranteed, but $40 million over 5 years is still a ludicrous contract for a manager. I'm glad the Brewers didn't match and I don't blame Counsell for taking it.

Managers should not be making that much. It's so easy to replace Counsell with a guy with the exact same skill set. Only difference is we lose the hometown boy angle, but oh well.

If its so easy why has this team had so many atrocious managers over the years.

[treego14]

CC was way overrated as a manager!

Jesse Winker in the playoffs?

The overuse of poor players like Travis Shaw and Eric Sogard come to mind ... when better options were right in front of him.

CC was above question by the fans/media, too ... he was too pompous, especially in the last few years.

Let's get David Ross and destroy the Cubs again!

[brewers888]

1 minute ago, nate82 said:

I think this is also telling where CC saw the Brewers going in the future.  He can say it was about resetting the market but I think he sees that the Brewers will need to rebuild.  I don’t think he wants to be part of a rebuild.  Though choosing the Cubs is a bit confusing without them spending a ton this offseason on starters.

I think this may signal a Burnes trade and refusing to tender a contract to Woodruff.  This maybe a small reset this offseason for the Brewers.  I wouldn’t rule out a Williams trade also.

I am all for trading Burnes but if we move him and don't bring back Woodruff it would be far more of a rebuild than just a reset as you suggest.

[SRB]

1 minute ago, brewers888 said:

If its so easy why has this team had so many atrocious managers over the years.

Because we used to have old school front offices who hired bad, old school managers. Counsell overlapped with the start of the Stearns era and I expect Matt Arnold will hire a similar candidate (younger, more analytically minded).

[Samurai Bucky]

1 hour ago, jw5511986 said:

Does he not? Can't imagine trying to stroll around Sendik's after this.

My daughter and son work at the Chick-fil-a in Glendale.  They saw him last week.  I will see what happens when he drives through the next time.

[Lathund]

Cubs having a competent manager is going to really hurt. 

On the other hand, in a way, it makes it easier to move on from him. I don't blame him for taking the money, it's the biggest manager contract ever. It was almost a 50% increase on what the Brewers allegedly offered (Which even that would've made him the highest paid manager), it's hard to blame someone for that. But it being the Cubs also makes it clear that he can't have identified as much as a Brewer as most of us thought he did. No surprise really, as for the people in baseball it's just a job after all; they care a lot less about rivalries than us fans do. If he had gone anywhere else (Apart from the Cardinals maybe) I would've wished him well and missed him. Now? Thanks for the good years, but I'm so done. He showed what matters to him, and what doesn't matter to him. Which, again, I don't begrudge him. I just know that I'm done. 

[markedman5]

 

[wallus]

1 minute ago, markedman5 said:

 

My response to this would not be allowed on this website.

[Brewcrew82]

Brewers players not exactly happy and understanding…Good for them.

[MoreTrife]

So Counsell's family has had a connection to the Brewers for...40 years? Grew up here? He absolutely knows what this move means.

Go to the Mets or Guardians and ask for a counter to the Cubs! Mets had to have gotten close to the Cubs figure. 

Maybe Stearns told Cohen it's not worth it, hopefully he's right.

This was a close knife of betrayal. 

[HarryDoyle]

He had no less than three interviews with teams and chose to leave. Obviously he didn't want to be here anymore for reasons only known to him and the Brewers organization.

[Brewcrew82]

7 minutes ago, markedman5 said:

 

He retains zero friends in Milwaukee. Nor is he part of the Brewer family any longer.

[patrickgpe]

Counsell did a lot of good here and guided the brewers towards their most successful decade or so run of success. I wish he didn't go to the cubs, I wish the Brewers are not behind the 8 ball with such a late start to hire a replacement. Obviously, I won't cheer for him anymore but won't say anything negative now that his foot is out the door.

Also how shouldn't the Cubs not be in trouble for tampering. They clearly were negotiating a contract for Counsell while Ross was still employed. 

[MoreTrife]

The close to home convenience is overblown.

He's not going home on Monday night, Tuesday night. Maybe after a Wednesday day game. But living in Milwaukee during the season, you'll get a few hours at home a week. Not much different than NYC. 

[MVP2110]

The Brewers have an owner who outspends his market size by quite a bit & has been one of the best run teams in MLB for nearly a decade. It's resulted in 8 straight big market WS winners and the Brewers only getting close once. Honestly the Brewers have basically no shot

[RobertCrawley]

I want to hear more about CC's love and loyalty to Whitefish Bay, and how much he doesn't care about money because he's not that kind of guy and already has millions in the bank.