Former Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell, 53, has found a new home in Major League Baseball (MLB).

The National League Central powerhouse Chicago Cubs announced today that they have fired manager David Ross and signed Craig Counsell to a five-year contract totaling $40 million.

Counsell will earn an average annual base salary of $8 million, the most ever paid to a major league manager.레모나토토 도메인

“We have made the difficult decision to part ways with Ross after his many years of service to our organization as a player and leader,” the Cubs said in a statement, adding that Counsell will officially take over next week.

Counsell, whose contract with Milwaukee expires at the end of the season, recently interviewed for managerial jobs with the New York Mets and Cleveland, but Cleveland has selected former All-Star catcher Steven Vogt, 39, as its next manager, while the Mets have reportedly selected New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, 43, to succeed him.

Counsell, who took over at Milwaukee in 2015, had won 707 games in nine seasons leading up to this year. During that time, Milwaukee won three district titles and reached the postseason five times.

Milwaukee also finished first in the National League Central this year, ahead of the Cubs, but lost to Arizona in the wild-card round.