When Craig Counsell was hired by the Chicago Cubs on Nov. 6 of last year, he was positioned as the missing piece who could get the most out of this roster who underperformed in 2023 when they fell short of the playoffs by one game.
While that might end up being the case eventually, that certainly wasn't what happened this past campaign.
The Cubs underwhelmed again, marred by injuries and poor performances from the bullpen early that put them in a hole they couldn't overcome. When the relief staff improved, the lineup had a hard time producing runs.
With Counsell locked into a long-term deal, the pressure is now on Jed Hoyer and his front office to give the high-priced skipper a roster that can contend.
Changes are expected to come for Chicago on the field, but things have already started being revised regarding Counsell's coaching staff after he went through 2024 in what is being described as "observation mode" so he could assess what needs to be done going forward.
He didn't make a ton of adjustments to the staff like one would expect when he initially signed his deal, he instead opted to keep many holdovers from the David Ross regime.
But, Counsell has now decided he would like to bring in his own coaches.
Following the conclusion of this past season, the Cubs have already parted ways with first base coach Mike Napoli, third base coach Willie Harris, bullpen coach Darren Holmes, and assistant hitting coach Jim Adduci. Strength and conditioning coaches, Ryan Clausen and Keegan Knoll, also won't be back in 2025.
While that has already been revealed, insiders Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic say that changes could be coming regarding what types of roles are filled and left vacant next year and beyond.
"Counsell is continuing to evaluate candidates for the other open positions, primarily first- and third-base coaches ... For now, the Cubs feel they have a strong game-planning group in place. There is a chance that more internal shuffling happens and roles change. It also doesn't appear that every role on the coaching staff from last year, including [Mark] Strittmatter's previous position, will be filled. The Cubs noticed some overlap and certain responsibilities could be consolidated," they report.
Mark Strittmatter is seen as the leading candidate to take over the bullpen coach role after he followed Counsell to Chicago from the Milwaukee Brewers.
He spent last year as the Major League field coordinator, and while that doesn't necessarily seem like an important role in the grand scheme of things, it's interesting the Cubs are considering not filling it if Strittmatter does get promoted.
The insiders also report that Mark Weisman and Kevin Poppe will be promoted from within to take over the strength and conditioning positions.
There is no word on who Counsell is eyeing for the open first and third base coaching roles, but Mooney and Sharma note the skipper feels like they need to be better overall on the basepaths.
