Craig Counsell’s Departure Is A Warning For Team’s Not Spending

Craig Counsell’s shockingly left the Milwaukee Brewers to manage the archrival Chicago Cubs. He signed a five-year $40 million deal making him the highest-paid manager in baseball. All managers want to win the World Series. One of the possible reasons for Counsell leaving is unlike the Brewers, Chicago is willing to spend money to try to win a championship. Counsell leaving the Brewers should be a cautionary tale for teams unwilling to spend money; not only will they lose their top players but their managers as well.

Craig Counsell Had A Lot Of Success Despite Milwaukee Not Spending Money

Every year Counsell has managed the Brewers, they’ve had a payroll that ranks toward the bottom of the league. The Brewers opened the 2023 season with a payroll of $118,761,987. Due to Milwaukee’s unwillingness to spend a lot of money, this has resulted in key players like Josh Hader, Mike Moustakas, Hunter Renfroe, and others departing for other teams. To replace those players, Milwaukee often promotes players from their farm system or they sign whoever is leftover from free agency. This often makes it very hard to compete for a World Series championship every year. Despite those obstacles, the job Counsell has done in Milwaukee is nothing short of amazing. He’s led them to three NL Central titles and gone to the postseason five times in the last six years.

The Cubs Are Willing To Spend Money To Win

Unlike Milwaukee, the Cubs ownership has shown a willingness to spend money and do everything possible to win. Heck, despite promising incumbent manager David Ross that he was returning in 2024, Chicago instead fired him and hired Counsel and made him the highest-paid manager in baseball. Last year, Chicago went out and signed free agents Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, Brad Boxberger, Cody Bellinger, Drew Smyly, and Tucker Barnhart. They opened the 2023 season with a payroll of $184,219,250. Given the amount of needs the team must fill, expect that number will grow exponentially by the time Opening Day happens in 2024.

Milwaukee’s Cheapness Was A Big Reason Counsell Departed

Angry Brewers fans will tell you that Counsell left because of his contract, but that isn’t entirely true. The fact is that Craig Counsell was tired of the Brewers’ unwillingness to make a large investment to win. All Counsell wanted was a better chance at potentially winning the World Series. The Brewers make a profit every season. However, instead of using it to improve the product on the field, owner Mark Attanasio would rather put it in his bank account.

Counsel Might Have Inspired A New Way For Manager’s To Conduct Business

Craig Counsell may have inspired a new way of how managers do business with the front office and ownership. Every manager’s goal is to win the World Series. Rather than just sign their contract extensions with their respective teams; a manager might opt to be a lame duck and think about whether they have a chance to win a championship with their current team. If they’ve had success in their current job; they’ll have no problem landing a managerial job in a more favorable situation.

This Is A Warning For Team’s Unwilling To Spend Money

Counsell’s shocking departure from the Brewers may spark a new trend in the way managers conduct business with their teams. Rather than just sign that extension, others may decide to manage during the final year of their contracts and think about their chances of winning a championship. If that manager has success leading a small market team, then they’ll have no trouble landing a job in an organization willing to put forth the investment to win. This should be a warning to all teams unwilling to spend money. Not only will they still lose key players, but their manager could look to go elsewhere as well.

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