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Columnist Expresses Hot Seat for Cubs Manager

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Hanich | Last updated Mar 25, 2025 6:00 AM ET

This 2025 season will be a defining time for the Chicago Cubs. Either the talent and production they’ve developed will finally push them into a playoff team or they will fall short for the fifth consecutive season.

The Cubs have added some key talent they believe can contend with the Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Central Divisional title. At the same time, the Cubs missed out on some high-volume talent because of the front office’s inability to spend high-dollar deals for elite stars. That is not the manager Craig Counsell's fault for getting the roster he has now.

There is a lot of pressure on the Cubs to win with their roster, but probably more so on Counsell. It shouldn’t be surprising that Counsell has received criticism online, but Chicago Tribune’s columnist Paul Sullivan says there are real concerns that he cannot deliver as the Cubs’ manager.

Counsell is entering his second season as manager of the Cubs and there is legitimate pressure for the team to win. The Cubs finished last season with an overall record of 83-79 for the second consecutive season.

Chicago kicked off the Cactus League with an 8-0 record in Spring Training that also includes four ties. Since then, the Cubs have only won three of the last 11 Spring Training games. While these games are more developmental for the young players and preparatory for the stars, they are still crucial for the team.

The Cubs are only one of two teams to play a set of regular season games. Chicago faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 Tokyo Series last week. They lost both games to the Dodgers with a 4-1 score in game one and a 6-3 score in game two.

While it is tough to win any game against the loaded roster of the Dodgers, the Cubs were either bad at the plate or the mound. It is up to Counsell to find a good balance for the team to be a playoff contender.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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