The salary of your average MLB manager is not as high as you think.
In some cases, even college baseball managers make more than those in the majors.
But the recent Chicago Cubs deal with Craig Counsell is set to trump all averages and perhaps kickstart the market for MLB managers.
The Cubs will pay the former Milwaukee Brewers skipper $40 million over five seasons, an average of $8 million per year.
According to Front Office Sports, he is set to make more in the next five years as the Cubs’ dugout and clubhouse leader than what he made in his 16-year career as a player.
“Craig Counsell earned $22 million in 16 seasons as an MLB player. His new $40M deal to become the Cubs’ manager will pay him more than that in 3 seasons,” they tweeted.
Craig Counsell earned $22 million in 16 seasons as an MLB player.
His new $40M deal to become the Cubs’ manager will pay him more than that in 3 seasons. pic.twitter.com/5MjzOrvuvN
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 6, 2023
What FOS means is that, after Counsell’s third season in front of the Cubs, he will already have made more money than the $22 million he made as a player.
Counsell the player was a pesky infielder with not much power, which is not exactly the player profile that makes a lot of money.
Counsell the manager, however, took a mediocre Brewers team in 2015 and turned it into a powerhouse a couple of years later.
Since 2018, he made the playoffs five times and reached as far as the National League Championship Series in 2018.
He is known for being an analytics ace and a great communicator, traits that make him an elite manager these days.
The Cubs could be really dangerous for years to come with Counsell, a good roster in place, and one of the top farms in baseball.
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Fans React To Today’s Craig Counsell News