This change didn’t happen because of some simmering tension between Ross and Hoyer. But as November neared and Counsell remained on the market, Hoyer’s interest was piqued. An opportunity to improve markedly in a significant area presented itself and Hoyer pounced. On Nov. 1, he reached out and Counsell came to the Chicagoland area to meet with Hoyer. The last thing Hoyer wanted was for any of this to go public, Counsell to end up elsewhere and for Ross to find out. That would create the type of friction between a manager and head of baseball operations that would likely be untenable.
To ensure that this stayed quiet, Hoyer was the only person to meet with Counsell, very few people in the front office were aware of the meeting, and Counsell never came to the Cubs offices adjacent to Wrigley Field. The two had very little interaction prior to that meeting on Nov. 1, but seemed to hit it off quickly and talked deep into the night.
In the coming days, Counsell would meet with the
New York Mets and
Cleveland Guardians while staying in contact with the Brewers. Late Saturday evening, Hoyer was optimistic that they were close on the financials and a deal would be made. By Sunday morning, the deal was done.