In 2023, the Chicago Cubs finished 83-79, under the guidance of manager David Ross. They did not make the postseason. After replacing Ross with Craig Counsell this offseason, they finished 83-79 and out of the playoffs once again. Counsell’s contract is worth $40 million over five years, the richest ever in Major League history for a manager.
So despite the fact that nothing improved, was this still all worth it?
“The managerial move was a very a knee jerk reaction type deal,” said former Cy Young award winner and MLB Network Analyst Jake Peavy, in an expansive, wide-ranging exclusive interview with RG.org. “And that is not taking anything away from Craig Counsell, because I love him (from) what I know about him. I competed against him a lot in my career- as professional as they come and don’t have a bad word to say about him.
“But what I do know is the guy they had in the seat is a guy that I would absolutely give my franchise to, and say, ‘take me there, because he had already done that as a player, and coach, in your 2016 team.”
Suffice it to say that Peavy, who came extremely close to joining the Cubs in 2008, is a big fan of Rossy.
The 2007 Triple Crown winner, who appeared on behalf of Broken Top Brands, then recalled his days winning the World Series, in back to back years, in order to illustrate his greater point.
“John Lackey, Jon Lester and David Ross on that 2013 (Boston Red Sox) team. We put together that recipe and won, because we all understood what it took, and we all believed in a way to go about it and in 2014 (with the San Francisco Giants) I was able to carry that on and win again.
“Your guys that delivered that championship, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo, the leaders they are and still are today, is because of David Ross. It’s because of John Lackey and Jon Lester, their leadership.
“There’s certainly others- Jason Hayward.
“And Theo (Epstein) knew that. Theo went and signed them because they were they were the dudes. John Lester was the dude. Lackey was late in his career, but he was David Ross’ guy and they had the championship recipe.
“You couldn’t tell them that they weren’t champs. They didn’t care anything about a curse.
“They knew what it took, and they beat us (the 2016 Giants) in the NLDS, going four games.
“I wanted so badly for that game five, Johnny Cueto vs Jon Lester, to happen. And I was on that same San Francisco team that was trying to make our every other year/even number year run (after winning the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014) and we got put out by the Cubs.”
This year, an 83-79 finish was very disappointing. Last season, the 83-79 final record was actually pleasantly surprising.
Several changes are currently being made at 1060 W. Addison right now, starting with the sacking of first base coach Mike Napoli, hitting coach Jim Adduci, bullpen coach Darren Holmes and a couple of strength coaches too. However, Jed Hoyer will remain, and you have to wonder if he might have regretted swapping David Ross with Craig Counsell.
Peavy went on to describe more of what Ross (currently a free agent who is being strongly linked to the division rival Cincinnati Reds) brings to the table.
“I tell you all of that, to tell you who you had in the seat, and you overachieved last year,” the San Diego Padres Hall of Famer continued.
“When I said you guys were going to make noise last year, before you faded down the stretch and just missed making the playoffs, you overachieved as a club, as you weren’t picked to do anything.
“You played very well, and you had yourself in contention, and that wasn’t expected at the beginning of the year.
“So I think a lot of that was trending and heading in the right direction. I think it’s taken until now to fix that and find the new groove in the Craig Counsell era, but that seems to have (finally) settled in.
“But I like what Jed and those guys have, position player wise, and what they have building. I certainly like so many arms and (Shota) Imanaga looks like the best signing of free agency.
“So you’ve got some good pieces in place there, but I just hated to see your manager get fired when they didn’t go and get him any help.
“You couldn’t close any games. He had that bullpen. I’m watching it as an analyst, and I’ve got heart ties there.
Honestly, Jake Peavy echoes the sentiments of Cubs fans everywhere when he articulates his opinion of their offseason moves. Jed and company have just not really backed their manager up, when it comes to first rate free agent signings that round out the roster.
“Been watching David Ross as a young manager, learn and evolve, but as a leader of people, I tell you this, he’s going to end up in one of the those 30 seats before long,” the 43-year-old Mobile, Alabama native continued.
And he’s delivered a few championships to towns, and he’s going to do it again as a manager one day.’
“Cause Craig Counsell came available, (he) didn’t want to go to New York, and it’s like ‘oh crap, Craig Counsell is available, and we kind of faltered down the stretch (last year). You know, Craig Counsell, he could get us one, two wins more, and that’s the playoffs’, and a knee jerk reaction.
“And you go pay him in the way (that) you paid him, but then didn’t supplement behind him in free agency, in order to really make your team a contender, but again, it’s a five year deal with Craig Counsell, so it’s a long term play.”
Peavy speaks the truth!
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.