The big news yesterday was supposed to center on which players were offered qualifying offers by their most recent employers. Guys like Cody Bellinger would still be free agents at the end of the day, but now the Cubs would get compensation in the form of a draft pick if Bellinger signs with a different club.

As is the case every year, there are a number of surprises and there will be several stories on coming weeks about those decisions. For the most part, yesterday was supposed to be about the free agent pool. Lists of where everyone will end up and who will be on the outside are already being compiled as it’s supposed to hold our interest until the first pitch is thrown in spring training.

The really big news of the day was the signing of three free agents, Craig Counsell, Stephen Vogt, and Carlos Mendoza. The Cubs made the biggest splash poaching Counsell from the Brewers. According to reports, he’s set to make $40 million over 5 years. Vogt signed on with Cleveland and Mendoza with the Mets (supposedly). It’s fair to use supposedly when discussing Mets managerial hires.

The news of Counsell getting the job spread through work quickly, but I had to wait until I got confirmation. Among the Cub fans at work the reactions were mixed. When I first learned that Counsell was likely leaving Milwaukee, I considered that a win for the Cubs because the pairing has been a bane in the Cubs existence over the past few seasons.

I’m not sure how the fans in Cleveland and New York feel about first-time managers or how the Mets feel about losing out to the Cubs. I expect that Cub fans will need time to sort this out as David Ross had his fans. I’m sure others will remember the last time the Cubs stole someone of stature from the Brewers-HOF broadcaster, Pat Hughes.

I’m hoping the hire makes the Cubs an even more attractive landing spot for free agents. I won’t be surprised if the local media doesn’t rank this signing as the biggest of the offseason. At the very least, it would be nice if the Cubs could somehow land a few of the Brewers pitchers.

A few hours after the news broke, someone on the Cubs radio station praised the signing of Greg Counsell.