Craig Counsell, baseball’s most coveted free-agent manager since Joe Maddon, was hired by the Chicago Cubs on Monday in a cold-blooded move that harked back to the time former Cubs President Theo Epstein brought Maddon to the North Side nine years ago.

With a five-year deal for Counsell that’s reportedly worth a record $40 million, Cubs President Jed Hoyer signaled the missing piece in Year 3 of the team’s rebuild was a well-respected manager who could get the most out of his players and get them to a championship level.

David Ross, the favorite son of Epstein and a hero of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series champions, was hired by Epstein to replace Maddon in October 2019. But he apparently failed to show Hoyer he was still the right man for the job after a season-ending collapse cost the Cubs a National League wild-card spot.

In a press release Monday, Hoyer said Ross “continually showcased his ability to lead,” adding that his “legacy will be felt in Chicago for generations.” The statement added an “oh, by the way” that Counsell will be the manager “going forward” and will be welcomed at Wrigley Field next week.

There was no explanation of Ross’ dismissal or any mention of Counsell’s career.

Plenty of time for that at the introductory news conference. Maybe Counsell will follow Maddon’s lead and buy a round of drinks for the media.

Counsell, 53, enjoyed great success managing a small-market team in Milwaukee, where he won the NL Central three times in the last six seasons and compiled a .531 winning percentage over nine seasons.

He’s 7-12 in five postseason appearances, including a two-game sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks this year in an NL wild-card series. His Brewers teams typically overachieved until the postseason rolled around.

Still, this move is sure to be welcomed by Cubs fans who followed Counsell’s career and weren’t enamored with Ross’ four seasons on the North Side, which included a division title — and quick playoff exit — in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Counsell bet on himself last winter when he opted against extension talks with the Brewers, and it paid off handsomely. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio probably took him for granted, knowing Counsell’s love of Wisconsin. Milwaukee wasn’t just the only place Counsell had managed, but he also grew up in Whitefish Bay and still makes his home there.

Counsell interviewed with several teams, including the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians. No one had any inkling of the Cubs’ interest in him or that he was intrigued by the Cubs, an organization he liked to poke fun at — such as the day in 2017 when he criticized a postponement at Wrigley Field by saying “it’s the first time for us that we’ve had players treated for sunburn after a rainout.”

Ross not only had another year remaining on his contract but was a favorite of Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts.

Hoyer went to great lengths to defend Ross from fan criticism this past season, making the move even more stunning than the Cubs’ dismissal of Rick Renteria to hire Maddon after the 2014 season. That hiring involved a recruiting trip to Florida by Epstein and Hoyer and a leak of their interest in Maddon well before making the move.

Monday’s news leak, first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, was like an explosion at Clark and Addison. The reverberations will be felt for months.

Ross and Renteria, meanwhile, will forever be linked in Cubs history for the dismissals by Epstein and Hoyer, who both appeared satisfied with the status quo. When asked at his end-of-season news conference how important 2024 would be for Ross to continue as Cubs manager, Hoyer gave a long-winded answer that indicated Ross would return.

“He’s not a new manager anymore,” Hoyer said. “He’s going into his fifth season. I think he’s really matured in the job and developed. Like all of us, I think he wants to get better every year.

“One of his greatest skills is he’s self-critical. He wants to continue to get better. And I know he’s going to spend the winter thinking about how he could have done things differently. … It is a very important year next year for him and for all of us.”

How Hoyer went from 2024 being a “very important” year for Ross’ future to relieving him of his duties a month later is a question only the Cubs president can answer. The general managers meetings, which begin Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., will afford Hoyer an opportunity to explain.

Among the criticisms of Ross this past season was his decision to play his regulars to the last drop down the stretch despite fatigue setting in. On the final road trip, the Cubs hit .236 with a .306 on-base percentage while going 1-5 in Atlanta and Milwaukee to blow the wild-card spot. Dansby Swanson was 1-for-17 (.059) on the trip and looked mentally exhausted. The Cubs made several uncharacteristic mistakes as they collapsed.

Will Counsell change things? He never got the Brewers to the World Series despite their winning ways. The closest they came was in 2018, when they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games in the NL Championship Series.

But he’ll be expected to get the Cubs to the promised land on the North Side, no matter who is on the team. Now it’s up to Hoyer to improve a roster that could lose its most valuable player, Cody Bellinger.

After the Cubs’ trade-deadline sell-off in July 2021 started the mini-rebuild, I asked Counsell if he thought the Cubs were headed in the right direction.

“Do I look like Jed Hoyer?” Counsell said with a grin. “I don’t know. I’m sure their farm system is greatly improved, and I’m sure there are young players I really don’t know much about or if they’re close to making an impact.

“I don’t think you can ever know. … We all think we know what’s going to happen, but there are teams that surprise every year. I don’t think you can make a statement right now about what can happen next year.”

Now Counsell and Hoyer are linked at the hip with a team that should be expected to contend in 2024 and beyond.

Hoyer made a statement without actually saying it:

Missing out on the postseason is no longer an option.

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The Ravens have won four straight games and five of their past six, but the second half of the season will be tougher.

Their streak includes big wins against top NFC teams — Detroit (38-6) and Seattle (37-3) — but the Ravens (7-2) now must face division foes Cleveland and Cincinnati in back-to-back weeks, take on the Chargers and Rams, then close out the regular season at Jacksonville and San Francisco before hosting Miami and Pittsburgh.

These will be different Browns (5-3) and Bengals (5-3) teams than the ones the Ravens beat earlier this season. Cleveland played without starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has missed much of the season with a shoulder injury but returned last week, and Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow lacked mobility because of an injured calf. He’s been back to his usual self amid a four-game winning streak.

But that’s looking into the future. Before the second half of 2023 begins, The Baltimore Sun gives out its position-by-position grades for the Ravens through the first nine games.

Quarterback

Lamar Jackson has completed 181 of 253 passes for 1,954 yards and nine touchdowns. He has a passer rating of 100.8 and a league-best completion rate of 71.5%. He seems to have picked up the new offense, and his decision-making and passes inside the red zone have improved significantly this season compared with the past five. He still throws behind receivers too often, but the win over Seattle was the first time he didn’t have to put on a Superman cape for the Ravens to win. He was a clock manager, and that showed the progress of this offense. Grade: A-

Running backs

The Ravens have the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 160.3 yards per game, and have been steadily pounding Gus Edwards (478 yards on 110 carries) inside to pair with the burst of Justice Hill (251 yards on 58 carries). Of course, Jackson (440 yards on 84 carries) makes the rushing game go, but it will be interesting to see how the Ravens can work rookie Keaton Mitchell into the rotation after he rushed for 138 yards on nine carries against the Seahawks on Sunday. It will be hard to do, but it’s a good problem to have. Mitchell gives the offense another speedy option besides Jackson. Grade: B

Receivers

Jackson has done a decent job gradually getting all his receivers some touches. The Ravens still need more consistency from Odell Beckham Jr. (19 catches for 218 yards) and Rashod Bateman (17 catches for 180 yards) but have gotten strong efforts all season from rookie Zay Flowers (45 catches for 472 yards) and veteran tight end Mark Andrews (41 catches for 477 yards). Nelson Agholor (28 catches for 224 yards) hasn’t been featured much but still plays a complementary role. Keep an eye on No. 2 tight end Isaiah Likely, who had his best game of the season Sunday. He could become an integral part of this offense late in the season, especially when the weather changes and the Ravens want to go with more of a two-tight-end look. Grade: C+

Offensive line

The main reason the Ravens have the league’s top rushing offense is that they can move defensive lines off the ball. That wasn’t the case in recent weeks, especially inside the red zone, but that’s no longer a problem. The middle of this group has been dominant with center Tyler Linderbaum, right guard Kevin Zeitler and left guard John Simpson. Linderbaum has performed at a Pro Bowl level with his quickness and ability to make blocks into the second level. Right tackle Morgan Moses excels at run blocking but has problems with speed rushers. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has struggled with both speed and power rushers, and it appears his surgically repaired ankle no longer allows him to plant and push off. Overall, the run blocking has been good, but the pass protection needs to improve. Grade: B

Defensive line

The Ravens are ranked No. 8 in rushing defense, allowing 91.9 yards per game, and it’s hard for opponents to run inside against end Justin Madubuike and nose tackle Michael Pierce. Because of his speed and quickness off the ball, Madubuike (30 tackles) has been able to disrupt the running game, and he leads the team in sacks with 7 1/2. Pierce (20 tackles) has been a force inside occupying two blockers, but he has also been able to work off those blocks and make tackles. Pierce has also knocked down two passes. End Broderick Washington (11 tackles, three quarterback hits) doesn’t get a lot of recognition but played well at the end of last season and has continued to get better every game. The Ravens have shown depth being able to put end Brent Urban and tackle Travis Jones into the game without any significant drop-off. Grade: A

Linebackers

Middle linebacker Roquan Smith and weak side linebacker Patrick Queen are one of the best inside tandems in the NFL. Queen has shown an ability to make tackles in the open field this season and continues to be productive as a pass rusher (75 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks). Smith has been sensational as a leader on and off the field and leads the team in tackles with 87. The Ravens thought young outside linebackers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo were going to be their top pass rushers in 2023, but it’s been Kyle Van Noy (10 tackles, five sacks, six quarterback pressures) and Jadeveon Clowney (19 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, 11 quarterback hits) leading the group. Both have played crucial roles in the development of some of the younger players. The Ravens have a great mix here. Grade: A

Secondary

Despite several injuries, the secondary has been strong most of the season as the Ravens rank No. 2 in pass defense, allowing 170.7 yards per game. Geno Stone has been the biggest surprise at safety and has been able to cover a lot of ground on the back end. He leads the league in interceptions with six despite starting the season on the bench behind Marcus Williams. Second-year safety Kyle Hamilton has played at a Pro Bowl level and is fourth on the team in tackles with 45. His versatility has allowed him to line up against receivers outside and in the slot, and he’s been a strong pass rusher on the outside. Brandon Stephens has smoothly made the transition from safety to cornerback and has been solid in run support with 46 tackles, but he needs to be more careful playing so physical and holding receivers. Marlon Humphrey missed several games early and has been slowed by injury, but he’ll get better with more time on the field. This unit has been the biggest surprise of the season. Grade: A-

Special teams

Justin Tucker has converted 16 of 19 field goal attempts with the three misses coming from beyond 50 yards. He remains the best kicker in the NFL. Jordan Stout has been excellent, averaging 48.5 yards on 37 punts, including a long of 67. Devin Duvernay has been effective as a kickoff returner, averaging 20.5 yards, but is still indecisive on punt returns. However, he seems to have gotten over the problem in recent games. The Ravens are going to need some big plays from him in the final month of the season, and they need to get stronger on the interior to try and block kicks. Grade: B-

Coaching

Coach John Harbaugh seems to have gotten over being aggressive all the time and is more comfortable letting the game dictate his decisions. Mike Macdonald’s defense has been nothing short of spectacular and the Ravens do a good job of disguising their fronts. As expected, offensive coordinator Todd Monken struggled to prepare the offense early in the season, and while it has improved since, the unit still needs to be more consistent. That consistency, along with Jackson’s play, will be needed in the postseason. Harbaugh made a good decision to bring in Chuck Smith as a pass-rushing specialist and assistant, but that move should have been made years ago. The pass rush has been a problem for a long time. Grade: B+

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For the final eight minutes of the Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday loss to the Phoenix Suns, Alex Caruso drove Kevin Durant into a state of frustration.

The guard acted as a shadow for Durant throughout the night, poking and prodding to keep the forward from settling into a comfortable scoring rhythm down the stretch. Caruso hung all over Durant on his final attempt at a game-winner with time expired, forcing him to take a slightly off-balance shot that clanked off the rim to send the game into overtime.

Durant finished with 25 points, nearly five points below his season average. But Durant scored only four in the final two frames of the game, a testament to Caruso’s nullifying presence.

“It’s his mentality,” Durant said. “He’s a hard worker who’s going to do everything he can. He’s a phenomenal player. I don’t even want to call him a role player, but just a guy that you can plug with any lineup and he’s going to make the right reads, the right plays on the defensive and offensive side. The Bulls are lucky to have him.”

Caruso is typically the defensive savior for the Bulls, swooping in to poke away turnovers and smother top scorers like Durant. But his offense balanced out an all-around performance Wednesday.

In the first quarter, Caruso drained a trio of consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 14-3 run that pulled the Bulls back from an 18-point deficit. And his sharpshooting from deep continued into overtime as he finished 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Caruso even flexed his playmaking abilities in the fourth quarter, faking an inside pass before finger-rolling the ball into the basket.

Caruso’s final scoreline reflected his eclectic impact on the game: 19 points, four rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots.

But Caruso couldn’t will the Bulls to a win. Jusuf Nurkić hit the go-ahead basket with seven seconds left in overtime and the Suns squeaked out of Chicago with a victory.

Here are six other takeaways from the loss:

1. Bulls erased a double-digit deficit in the first half.

It didn’t take long for the Bulls to dig themselves into a hole on Wednesday. The Suns opened the game on a 22-4 run. Within the first six minutes of play, the Bulls fell behind by 18 points after Grayson Allen hit his second 3-pointer of the night.

Despite a flat-footed start, the Bulls woke up toward the end of the first quarter when Caruso took the court. Caruso knocked down three consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 14-3 run, helping the Bulls cut the lead to 36-28 by the end of the first quarter.

The Bulls starters took the game back in the second quarter. Coby White scored nine points including a 3-pointer. DeMar DeRozan drew three shooting fouls to score six points. And Nikola Vučević carved out space in the paint to add eight points.

After trailing for the majority of the half, the Bulls entered halftime with a level score after Vučević hit a hook shot with a second left to tie the game.

2. Turnovers defined results — good and bad.

The Bulls pulled themselves back into the game by capitalizing on mistakes. They forced Phoenix to cough up the ball 21 times and scored 30 points off turnovers for the second game in a row. The entire roster combined for 12 steals, with White and Caruso recording three apiece.

But turnovers were also the final straw for the Bulls in the last stretch of a contentious game. The Bulls turned the ball over twice in the final minute of regulation and two more times in overtime. Those mistakes were too costly against the Suns, leaving enough margin for a one-point loss.

3. Zach LaVine struggled on both ends of the court.

Despite scoring 22 points, LaVine struggled for the Bulls throughout Wednesday’s game. He picked up a defensive 3-second violation in the first quarter and allowed guards to slip by him consistently on backdoor cuts.

LaVine shot 3-for-6 from behind the arc, but he couldn’t clinch shots when it counted. In the final minute of regulation, LaVine missed one chance at a tying shot, then fumbled the ball off his leg with 45 seconds left for a turnover. He did not score in overtime and finished with three total turnovers.

4. 3-point shooting levels out.

After an ice-cold start to the season, the Bulls’ 3-point shooting is beginning to level out.

The team shot 14-for-33 (42.4%) from behind the arc two nights after shooting 52.9% against the Utah Jazz. Torrey Craig went 0-for-2 and White went 1-for-5 from 3-point range, but the rest of the players who took at least one attempt finished above 40% from deep. Caruso led the Bulls with four 3-pointers and LaVine added three.

The Bulls took six 3-point shots in overtime, so their tally of attempts in regulation (27) still fell closer to their average attempts from last season.

5. Bradley Beal returned to the court.

Bradley Beal made his debut for the Suns in Chicago on Wednesday after missing the first seven games of the season with a back injury. He played on a minutes restriction, finishing with 13 points in 23 minutes. Beal played most of his minutes with the secondary unit, which allowed the Bulls to throw traps at the guard to keep the ball out of his hands. He did not play at all in overtime.

Devin Booker did not play for the Suns on Wednesday due to a right calf strain.

6. Grayson Allen lit up the arc.

After run-ins with Caruso and DeRozan over the past two seasons, Allen isn’t well-loved at the United Center. But he also has a pattern of matching boos with made 3-pointers — which he continued on Wednesday.

Allen went 8-for-13 from behind the arc, a career-high in single-game 3-pointers. His team-high 26 points were critical for Phoenix to fend off a Bulls comeback.

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