Craig Counsell agreed to terms with the Chicago Cubs on Monday on a five-year contract worth $40 million that will make him the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball history. Counsell, a Wisconsin native, had spent the last nine seasons managing the Milwaukee Brewers, winning 53% of his regular-season contests and guiding them to five postseason appearances along the way.
While Counsell's peers are undoubtedly thrilled that he's reset the market for managers, not everyone appears to be happy for him. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio spoke with reporters on Monday night about Counsell's decision to leave.
"Craig was definitely a key part of our success but if I wanted to list all the reasons we're successful, we'd be on another half an hour," Attanasio said, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I'm not going to speak for Craig, he spoke plenty over the past several weeks as to what he was trying to do. We'll see if it was successful or if this was a one-off."
Attanasio confirmed that the Brewers offered Counsell a contract that would have made him the highest-paid manager in the game. Counsell, whose contract expired at the end of October, chose to become a true free agent -- he then leveraged the open market to get a better deal. You would think that Attanasio, who worked in finance, would understand free-market forces -- or, is the idea that something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it only valid when it benefits him?
At minimum, Attanasio cannot claim that Counsell's departure was a surprise. The Brewers themselves gave both the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians permission to speak with Counsell before his contract expired. Attanasio also indicated that he had heard months ago that Counsell may leave the Brewers.
Nevertheless, Attanasio raised eyebrows with the end of his opening statement about Counsell, saying: "[We're all here] today because we've lost Craig, but I've reflected on this -- Craig has lost us and he's lost our community also."
Attanasio's comments look a little different on Tuesday morning, seeing as how someone vandalized the sign for Craig Counsell Park in Whitefish Bay, Wisc. -- a little league field in Counsell's hometown.
