Brewers could get easy revenge on Cubs with Craig Counsell replacements

It's official: Craig Counsell will be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs announced the decision on Monday in a move that shocked the league. Counsell is set to be the MLB's highest-paid manager in Chicago, and based on the financials, Milwaukee reportedly never had a chance of retaining its venerated manager.

If the Brewers wanted to make this personal, they could pull a fairly obvious move to replace Counsell: by hiring ex-Cubs manager Davis Ross or Cubs bench coach Andy Green.

The Cubs released an official statement on letting Ross go, and with the Brewers in sudden need of a new manager, he may find a welcoming second home in Milwaukee.

Brewers could target David Ross, Andy Green in managerial search

Ross kicked off his first stint as manager with the Cubs back in 2019, when he was hired to replace Joe Maddon. He finished with 262 career wins and 284 losses.

Under Ross's leadership in 2023, the Cubs had a fighting chance to make the postseason until the last week of the season, when Chicago came up short. Ross had previously played for the Cubs for two seasons and retired in 2016, the year the Cubs won the World Series.

As for Andy Green, he formerly served as the Padres' manager and Diamondbacks' third base coach. His first managerial stint -- which spanned four years -- in San Diego didn't go so well, but he nonetheless would bring a sizeable amount of experience to Milwaukee, and the Brewers would get to exact a little revenge on the Cubs for swooping in for Counsell.

In actuality, would the Brewers actually make an emotion-based decision when it comes to hiring their next manager? Probably not. But seeing a team out of left field poach their own beloved coach still hurts. Expect more news on the Brewers' 2024 managerial search in the coming days.