The World Series may have just ended last week, but Monday was an absolutely insane day in the big leagues. The New York Mets were seen as a frontrunner to hire Milwaukee Brewers skipper Craig Counsell, but they ultimately chose New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. That had everyone believing Counsell would stay in Wisconsin but instead, a divisional rival in the Chicago Cubs swooped in and gave the manager a historic deal to lure him away from the Brew Crew.

In the process, Jed Hoyer and the front office parted ways with David Ross, who did absolutely nothing wrong. Ross being let go simply came down to the fact that Counsell became available, one of the best skippers in the game. But, the question remains, did the Cubs do the right thing? Absolutely.

Counsell consistently found results with a Brewers roster that didn't possess any superstars. They made the playoffs in five of the nine seasons he was in charge and won three NL Central titles. Milwaukee also made the NLCS in 2018 before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. A former player with a pair of rings from his time with the Florida Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks, Counsell has a championship pedigree and knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

The Cubs hired David Ross before the 2020 season and lost in the NL Wild Card that year, but it was a shortened campaign due to COVID-19. They finished with an 83-79 record in 2023 and just fell short of the playoffs, the first time Chicago was above .500 since 20′, albeit playing far fewer games. Yes, the organization completely rebuilt its roster considering the group they had during the 2016 World Series run, but ultimately, the results weren't up to par. While Ross could've certainly kept trucking along, getting a guy like Counsell is absolutely huge.

Experience is one thing but these players on the Cubs have seen what he's able to do in this same division. Plus, Counsell joining the franchise should likely persuade two key free agents in Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman to potentially re-sign this winter, although there will be competition for their services. But as the Cubs just showed with Counsell, they're willing to pay up.

Will Chicago be an immediate contender in 2024? Probably not. This roster is built for long-term success though with lots of intriguing young talent and a great farm system that is one of the best around. That being said, Counsell is the perfect manager to maximize what he has and get the absolute most out of each and every player. You can teach that.

To boot, Counsell is still rather close to home in Wisconsin instead of in New York, where many believed he'd end up. Coaching a rival club to the Brewers has immediately made Milwaukee fans despite the franchise legend, but hey, he just set the standard for how managers could be paid in the future.

Ross will land on his feet elsewhere because the ex-catcher showed he has what it takes to manage at the MLB level. The Cubs took a massive swing and hit a home run with luring in Craig Counsell and it'll set the stage for what should be an exciting future for a ball club on the come-up.

Hoyer deserves serious credit here. A job well done. There is no better manager to lead this group.