Craig Counsell expands on rejecting Mets for Cubs

In November, Craig Counsell said he chose the Chicago Cubs' managerial position over the New York Mets because he "needed a new challenge." 

Counsell expanded on his decision before Monday's game between the Cubs and Mets. 

"It was just the right fit for me," Counsell said about choosing the Cubs, per Bridget Reilly of the New York Post. "Everything that I … ended up looking for, it turned out to be the right fit in Chicago." 

Counsell was routinely linked with the Mets this past October, largely because of his relationship with the club president of baseball operations, David Stearns. Counsell previously managed the Milwaukee Brewers from a portion of the 2015 season through the 2023 campaign. Meanwhile, Stearns became general manager of the Brewers in September 2015 and remained an executive with that organization until he moved to an advisory role in the fall of 2022. 

Stearns joined the Mets shortly after their final game of the 2023 season.

As noted by Buster Olney of ESPN, Counsell reset the market for managers when he signed a record-setting five-year, $40M contract with the Cubs. To compare, Andy Martino of SNY reported in November that Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is making $4.5M over three years. Mendoza's contract also includes a club option for a fourth season. 

"It went great," Counsell said of his job interview with the Mets and Stearns. "I enjoyed it. David’s a good friend. So, I enjoyed spending time with him and learning about the organization." 

Mendoza and the Mets began the ongoing campaign at 0-5 before the club improved to 12-8. New York then fell to 14-14 on the season via Monday's 3-1 loss to the Cubs, which improved Chicago to 18-11 under Counsell.

"We had dinner before we came out to spring training and we didn’t talk a word about baseball," Counsell added about Stearns. "That’s kind of how it is. And it’s all good. David and I and our families are friends. And will be friends. We went through negotiations and it didn’t work out."

Martino said in November that the Mets' offer to Counsell "was significantly less than" what the skipper accepted to join the Cubs. Counsell insisted on Monday that he truly was "interested" in the Mets' opening, but Martino hinted that big-spending team owner Steve Cohen believed Counsell might have been using the Amazins "to increase the market" following last season.