Chicago Cubs: That uncomfortable Craig Counsell conversation is coming soon

The Chicago Cubs, once sporting the second best record in baseball, fifteen games over .500, are now at the .500 mark just about a month later after losing twenty-two of their last twenty-nine games.

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They’ve also fallen from first place in the NL Central Division to fourth place.

It’s been ugly and, really, it’s been a team-wide thing where pretty much nobody has been consistently pulling their weight. When the pitching is locked in, the offense stalls. When the hitters begin to hit, the pitching fails. Then, there are the injuries and also—and maybe most frustratingly—the absolute inability to execute on a consistent basis.

So, who gets the blame when everyone’s messing up?

Historically, the manager becomes the fall guy in situations like this—and it may be getting to the point in Chicago where Cubs manager Craig Counsell might be offered up as a sacrifice.

Craig Counsell getting the blame?

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Recently, in an appearance on ESPN Radio Chicago, MLB insider Jesse Rogers talked about the realities of Counsell’s job. Although Rogers would turn things around and lay the blame for this 2026 disaster at the feet of Cubs president Jed Hoyer, he also acknowledged that Counsell will likely be held to a greater degree of accountability.

“The manager is ultimately the guy, right? It’s a result oriented business,” Rogers said. “If the results aren’t there, it is on Craig Counsell. He knows that.”

Counsell is currently in the third year of a lucrative five-year contract with the Cubs, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that he’ll be kept around as fans call for heads to roll.

The veteran manager has frustrated with his even-keel demeanor and his unbendable reliance on analytics data. Critics have pointed to a perceived lack of fire and a stubborn unwillingness to move on from a course of action, even when it’s failing spectacularly.

Counsell’s not saying the right things

In the midst of an extended losing streak like this one, Counsell’s deadpan public persona can be exasperating for those focused on a quick turnaround to the team’s fortunes.

“The work is positive,” Counsell told reporters after Tuesday’s series opener loss to the Colorado Rockies. “I don’t think I’m seeing the results in the game, but you have to stick to the right work. That’s important, and you have to stick to a plan and a process. I still believe in that, and I think we’re doing the right things. It’s frustrating when you don’t get results, for sure. But you’ve got to stick to something. We’re not seeing the results of it, but I think we’re doing the right things with some guys that are struggling, and hopefully we can get them going here.”

A ‘We’re gonna stay the course’ message is definitely not what anyone wants to hear when ‘the course’ is so clearly downward-bound.

“Look, you start over tomorrow with it, with a new game and a new chance to play well,” Counsell added. “There’s a lot of season in front of us, and a lot of good things can be in front of us, and that’s still how you have to show up every day, and that’s still what I believe.”

The problem is that there’s less and less season in front of the Cubs and, also, more and more that seems to be broken. Counsell riding with messages like this comes off a little like the captain of the Titanic telling everyone, ‘All is well, go back to your rooms,’ as the ship begins to take water.

At some point, maybe soon, there will be some serious internal talk—whether right or wrong—about scapegoating Counsell for this big mess of a season.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-firing-craig-counsell-jed-hoyer/