CHICAGO – When the Chicago Cubs handed Craig Counsell a five-year, $40 million contract to become the highest-paid manager in baseball, they didn’t do it for his sparkling personality or quotability. Simply put, Counsell was brought to the Cubs to win. The 2024 team was basically the same group the Cubs had in 2023, along with a few additions, notably Shota Imanaga, Michael Busch and Héctor Neris. The supposed upgrade from David Ross to Counsell, one of the game’s most respected managers, was supposed to be the difference.

But President Jed Hoyer’s plan didn’t pan out, as evidenced by another 83-win season without a playoff appearance. Now the pressure is squarely on Counsell to prove the hype was real and he was the right man for the job, with a superstar in Kyle Tucker and another year of experience for Imanaga and budding star Pete Crow-Armstrong. Few Cubs fans blamed Counsell for the team’s inefficiencies in 2024, though his continued use of Neris through the reliever’s ongoing struggles was maddening to many. This year should be a different story. Another season without a postseason would likely tick off an impatient fan base that grew used to watching the Cubs contend in the Joe Maddon era and could spell the end to Hoyer’s long run on the North Side.

Counsell said he’s much more comfortable entering his second season in Chicago, which is a much different animal than Milwaukee. “From a knowledge perspective of the organization, it feels significantly different,” he said. “I think anybody would (feel that way).”

That comfort level seemed apparent this winter when Counsell became more involved in the offseason roster construction. Counsell has a background in the front office from his early days in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, when he was a special assistant to general manager Doug Melvin. So it was no surprise he figured to be more involved in the offseason maneuvering, working with Hoyer and general manager Carter Hawkins. Hoyer said he and Counsell worked “closer” than he did with other managers he’s had over the years, which would include Maddon and Ross.

“I don’t talk to him every day, but I talk to him a lot in the offseason,” Hoyer told reporters Saturday at the Cubs Convention. “He’s very involved, and the way information is shared now is different, he’s in all the Slack channels where we talk about ideas. There’s nothing that we’re doing that he’s not aware of. He can read (on Slack) all the time, and we talk a few times a week about what’s going on and obviously more often if we’re close to a transaction.

“I think it’s a fine balance. I definitely work more closely with him in the offseason than other managers, but I have to respect that it’s his offseason. The job is intense enough that he doesn’t need me calling every single day and asking to do stuff. “I’ve worked with managers that the only thing we talked about in the offseason was spring training or logistics for the season, but never about personnel. Obviously with Craig he has more interest in that part of the game, and he gives really good insights. His instincts for transactions are really good. Sometimes I’ll even call him on a negotiating question – ‘How should I play this?’ He’s a very bright person and been around. And he makes us better.”

Hopefully the Cubs’ Slack channel can lead to better decision-making than signing Neris or moving Christopher Morel from DH to third base – two of the more glaring mistakes from 2024. The addition of former Brewers pitcher Colin Rea is an obvious roster move Counsell was involved with, but assuredly he had a hand in some of the key subtractions as well.

The Cubs got rid of several unproductive bench players and are still in the process of overhauling the bullpen. Counsell, naturally, downplayed his role as Hoyer’s roster whisperer. “My job at this point of the season is (being) a consultant,” he said. “Then during the season I make a lot of decisions. But absolutely, it’s part of the conversation. For every organization, we’re trying to generate ideas and then they become long negotiations.”

One decision Counsell likely had no say in was the trade of Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees in what was considered a salary dump. Chairman Tom Ricketts told WSCR-AM 670 the narrative of “salary dump” was incorrect, saying: “If we trade Cody Bellinger for a starting pitcher, that’s a trade. If we trade Cody Bellinger to get the resources to sign a pitcher, that’s a salary dump. It doesn’t make any sense.”

But the Cubs have plenty of resources, and no big-money free agent has yet been signed for the money they’ve saved, adding to fans’ frustrations. Asked if they had to deal Bellinger for economic reasons, Hoyer said the addition of Tucker meant he was expendable, and they decided to “redeploy those resources (from Bellinger’s salary) in a more efficient way.”

“That was the gist of it,” Hoyer said Friday. “When we acquired Tucker, I think that was the right move. I think the world of Cody as a player … thrilled we had him two years.” Hoyer and Counsell said the Cubs are still in the market for a high-leverage reliever. Typically prices come down as spring training approaches and the remaining free agents scramble to find new homes. Whether the Cubs will get the right one remains to be seen. Bullpen-building has never been Hoyer’s strength.

Unlike Maddon, Counsell rarely is criticized on sports-talk radio. Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs-owned station, also held him blameless for the team’s lack of consistency. Only studio analyst Cliff Floyd dared to question Counsell’s managerial decisions. Counsell’s low-key demeanor is on display most days, which only made Justin Steele’s viral “Wake the (f-) up” dugout rant during a late June game in Milwaukee that much more glaring.

Steele was apologetic afterward for his blow-up and remained so on Saturday when speaking with reporters. “I’m pretty laid back, very calm, well-mannered,” he said. “That was just one of those things where emotions were running high. We felt like we should’ve been playing better across that span, so just emotions that boiled over. Me, personally, I could probably do a better job of going about that.”

But the message was one the Cubs desperately needed to hear, whether it’s the starter or, more typically, the manager. Does Counsell ever get heated inside the clubhouse when addressing players, or is what you see what you get? Steele said he’s the “same way” inside the clubhouse as outside, which the players appreciate, getting his point across without the dramatics.

“He knows the standard that we hold ourselves to, and if anything he lets us know we have not been playing up to that standard and let’s us know it’s probably been going on a little too long,” Steele said. “He definitely addresses it in his own way.” Whether Counsell’s comfort level leads to significant improvement on the field will be one of the narratives to monitor in 2025. Everyone is getting antsy, and the Cubs’ clock is ticking.