MILWAUKEE — I have to admit that Craig Counsell leaving the Milwaukee Brewers to become the manager of the Chicago Cubs was a surprise.

I wasn’t surprised he left. I just thought he’d join David Stearns with the New York Mets.

The Cubs came after him with a five-year, $40 million deal. That’s $8 million per year. Counsell will become the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball. As someone who was active in the players’ union, salaries matter to Counsell. He wanted to raise the level of managers’ pay.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Brewers offered Counsell $5.5 million. In a Zoom session with local reporters, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said he felt good about the offer he made. Counsell had reportedly been making $3.5 million before his contract expired.

The Cubs had to be attractive for three main reasons. First, the money. The Cubs apparently more than doubled his salary. He’s in a territory now that only Joe Torre was in as far as manager’s pay.

Second, the Cubs have resources the Brewers don’t. Counsell must figure the Cubs can spend more money to try to win World Series than the Brewers. They’re in a much bigger media market.

Third, unlike the Mets, Counsell can stay in the Midwest. He has two daughters in high school and two sons who will play college baseball in the Big Ten. Having a chance to be close to all of that had to weigh heavily.

“We lost Craig, but…Craig has lost us and our community,” Attanasio said. Counsell is now seen as a rival. In some quarters, a villain.

It should make the Cubs’ first visit to American Family Field on Memorial Day 2024 quite the scene.