MILWAUKEE — Nearly three years ago, when team President Jed Hoyer initially engaged Craig Counsell on coming to Chicago to manage the Cubs, Hoyer’s optimism about the organization’s future was a major selling point.
The Cubs entered Monday tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the National League and second-best in the majors. Hoyer’s vision has largely played out with Counsell at the helm.
“He sold that really well, and I believed it, and I agreed with him completely,” Counsell said Monday. “But he was really passionate about believing that, and I think he was right. And that’s probably what stuck out more than anything.”
The Cubs, though, haven’t been to the playoffs in a 162-game season since 2018. And whether Hoyer would still be leading baseball operations whenever the Cubs’ postseason drought ends wasn’t guaranteed beyond this year, the last of his contract.
That uncertainty surrounding Hoyer’s future with the Cubs has been eliminated, however. Hoyer and the Cubs agreed to a multiyear contract extension Monday, the team announced.
“I’m so grateful for the Ricketts family’s trust and support for 14 years,” Hoyer said in a statement. “The Cubs are a special organization with an amazing fan base. I’m excited to keep building on the momentum we have and to work with a terrific baseball operations staff to consistently deliver a championship-caliber team for this great city.”
In his two seasons working in tandem with Hoyer, Counsell commended Hoyer for his experience in the role and the human element he brings to interactions.
“He’s not surprised by anything, and he’s usually ahead of everything, and that’s a really comforting feeling, I think, as an organization, to be in,” Counsell said. “He just treats people really well and the right way, and when you’re in a work environment like this where it’s emotional, there’s emotional conversations, to know that’s how he’s going to operate, you can have an emotional conversation but still feel like you’re treated the right way I think is something that’s really important.”
Hoyer, 51, has been in the role since November 2020, when he was promoted to take over from the departing Theo Epstein. Now in his 14th season with the Cubs, Hoyer joined the organization as general manager in November 2011 to reshape the franchise alongside Epstein, ultimately rebuilding the roster into a World Series champion.
“Jed and his baseball operations staff have built a healthy player development organization and put an exciting, playoff contending team on the field,” chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “We are looking forward to the rest of the season and to working with Jed for years to come.”
News of Hoyer’s extension was well received in the Cubs clubhouse, one that has been overhauled the last four years under his leadership. His handling of the 2021 trade deadline, when Hoyer made the difficult decision to trade Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez and move on from the core of the 2016 World Series championship team, has been a franchise-defining moment under his leadership.
Of the then-MLB record 69 players to appear in a game for the Cubs in 2021, just three are still part of the big-league team — left fielder Ian Happ, second baseman Nico Hoerner and left-hander Justin Steele, who had season-ending surgery in April. Just one remains in their minor-league system, right-hander Keegan Thompson at Triple-A Iowa.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities that he’s given me personally, and he’s put a great team on the field this year, and our farm system’s in a strong place, our big-league team’s in a great place — all signs are pointing towards success moving forward,” Hoerner said.
The Cubs came into Monday’s series opener in Milwaukee tied with the Brewers at the top of the division. A dynamic offense has helped the Cubs overcome injuries to their rotation, putting up the second-most runs in the majors, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, and posting a +116 run differential to lead all teams.
“It’s just awesome for him, awesome for the organization,” Happ said of Hoyer’s extension. “I’ve been lucky enough to work with him for a long time, and I think what he’s done over the past three, four years, it’s been really impressive.
“To deal with how difficult ’21 was for everybody, for players, fan base, and a lot of guys that he’s known for so long, handle that the way he did and then be able to build up what we have now, it’s been awesome to watch, awesome to work with. He’s easy to talk to, and I’m excited for him and his family and for the fan base and organization.”
