Chicago Tribune

Paul Sullivan: By replacing David Ross with Craig Counsell, Chicago Cubs President Jed Hoyer dips into Theo Epstein’s playbook

Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell on Aug. 14, 2018, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

CHICAGO — Craig Counsell, baseball’s most coveted free-agent manager since Joe Maddon, was hired by the Chicago Cubs on Monday in a cold-blooded move that harked back to the time former Cubs President Theo Epstein brought Maddon to the North Side nine years ago.

With a five-year deal for Counsell that’s reportedly worth a record $40 million, Cubs President Jed Hoyer signaled the missing piece in Year 3 of the team’s rebuild was a well-respected manager who could get the most out of his players and get them to a championship level.

David Ross, the favorite son of Epstein and a hero of the Cubs’ 2016 World

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