Brewers stars throw shade at Craig Counsell after he leaves them in the dust

Here we thought the San Diego Padres allowing manager Bob Melvin to leave for the San Francisco Giants would be the most shocking news of the offseason thus far. But on Nov. 6, reports indicated Craig Counsell was leaving the Milwaukee Brewers to become the manager of the rival Chicago Cubs.

This was shocking news, as Counsell interviewed for the Cleveland Guardians and New York Mets, and both teams opted to hire other managers after discovering Counsell would not choose them. But, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Counsell would not return to the Brewers but instead to a team that had a manager employed -- the Cubs.

This news left the baseball world stunned, as he left for the Cubs on a five-year, $40 million deal to become the highest-paid manager in baseball. So, how did the Brewers players react to the news that their manager was leaving for the enemy?

Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relayed what starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff said after finding out that Counsell was leaving for the Cubs, and that was, "Lord have mercy."

Brewers players react to Craig Counsell leaving for rival Cubs

Woodruff continued, h/t MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, said that he was shocked that it was the Cubs that was the team Counsell left for. But Woodruff said, "But then when you dig down a little bit deeper, you kind of get it."

Brewers catcher William Contreras, who joined the team last season after a three-team trade involving the Atlanta Braves and Oakland Athletics, seemingly shared his thoughts on finding out his manager was going elsewhere. That message was on Twitter, and it was three "facepalm" emojis.

Then there was Milwaukee ace pitcher Corbin Burnes, who shared his thoughts via McCalvy, saying he was shocked about the news of Counsell leaving for Chicago. While saying he was happy for Counsell, Burnes said, "But on the personal side, it's going to be strange."

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio spoke with reporters on Monday evening, discussing the team's plans now that Counsell is no longer returning. Attanasio said that while they did lose Counsell, "Craig lost us and lost our community." Attanasio revealed that general manager Matt Arnold has done work on some managerial candidates, and that their coaching staff will be intact for the 2024 season.

Counsell is set to make $8 million to lead the team back into the postseason after they narrowly missed out on a berth this past season. What will be interesting to see is how the roster will look, as big players like Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman are set to be free agents.

Either way, Brewers home games against the Cubs next season will be interesting, especially with the reaction Counsell will get.