Cubs Looking For Return On Their Investment In Craig Counsell

Craig Counsell has three seasons left on his contract but you can argue no manager in the major leagues is under more pressure down the stretch of this season.

Counsell jumped from the Brewers to the Cubs two years ago, landing a precedent-setting contract in Chicago while turning down an attractive offer to stay in Milwaukee. The move excited one fanbase while enraging another.

Factor in that Counsell is from Whitefish Bay, just outside Milwaukee, and you’ve got a narrative that’s not going away any time soon.

Counsell landed a five-year, $40 million deal two winters back, after the Brewers allowed him to reach the end of his deal. His teams in Milwaukee had gone 707-625 over nine seasons while never ranking in the top half of MLB payrolls. He was lured to Chicago in part by the Cubs’ ability to aggressively spend on players.

After a disappointing 83-79 season in 2024, the Cubs got off to a fast start this season. They were 45-28 after beating the Brewers on June 17, leading the second-place Brewers by 6 1/2 games in the National League Central.

The storyline turned after a Wrigley Field rainout the next night. Milwaukee pounded Jameson Taillon and held on to win 8-7, beginning a stretch in which it has won 31 of 40 games.

The Cubs have fallen four games behind the Brewers — with a wild-card cushion of only 3 1/2 games — entering a weekend series in St. Louis. Issues with starting pitching has contributed to them winning only 21 of their last 41 games.

With Justin Steele (elbow surgery), Taillon (calf strain) and Javier Assad (oblique injury) on the Injured List, the Cubs searched for starting pitchers at the trade deadline but Jed Hoyer came away acquiring only Michael Soroka. He lasted only two innings in his Cubs debut before being sidelined with a strained shoulder.

Assad, who has been out all season, and Taillon are close to returning from rehab assignments. The Cubs need every effective pitcher they can get to keep up with the Brewers, whose starting pitchers are 47-27 with a 3.35 ERA, second only to Texas in the majors. Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea have been lifesavers for the Cubs, helping Counsell’s rotation go 46-29 with a 3.90 ERA, which ranks 11th.

Counsell was known as a difference-making manager in Milwaukee. His teams went to the postseason five times and were +20 in the regular season in the Pythagorean standings (showing how many games they should have won given their run differentials). But his two Cubs teams are -7 in the Pythagorean standings, with too many wins getting away from them.

Meanwhile the Brewers have rolled under manager Pat Murphy, who had been Counsell’s coach at Notre Dame and served as Counsell’s bench coach. They have a .591 winning percentage since the managerial change, which came after Counsell was offered an extension reportedly worth $5.5 million per year.

Murphy received a three-year contract to replace Counsell. His salary is believed to be below $2 million but terms have not been reported.

The Cubs and Brewers have split eight games this season. They will finish their season series Aug. 18-21 with a five-game series at Wrigley, including a makeup of the June 18 rainout which turned into a dividing line for the two teams.

You can argue that the person who matters the most for the Cubs is Kyle Tucker, not Counsell. He was hitting .284 with a .909 OPS and 13 homers in 268 at-bats on June 17. Since then he’s at .248 with a .764 OPS and five homers in 141 at-bats.

Tucker’s season took a downturn when he injured his right ring finger sliding into second base on June 1. Counsell gave him the day off Wednesday — “to reset,” he said — knowing he needs more production to help the Cubs chase down the Brewers.

These are tense days in the offices at Wrigley Field.

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/philrogers/2025/08/08/cubs-looking-for-return-on-their-investment-in-craig-counsell/