Craig Counsell finalizing Chicago Cubs coaching staff

While the focus for the Chicago Cubs front office at the moment appears to be on their pursuit of superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani, new Cubs manager Craig Counsell appears to be making progress on finalizing his coaching staff.

Over the weekend, former Cubs bench coach under former manager David Ross, Andy Green, took a job with the New York Mets. When Counsell was first announced as the Cubs' manager, there was an expectation that the team would have a new bench coach but it was reported over the weekend that the Cubs did have an interest in Green returning to the team in some capacity for the 2024 season.

Pat Murphy, had he not been named as Counsell's replacement with the Milwaukee Brewers, likely would have been pegged to be Counsell's bench coach with the Cubs. Counsell did recently interview Miami Marlins first base coach Jon Jay for the vacancy but the former Cubs' player was not deemed a fit.

As Counsell continues the search for his bench coach, there appears to be clarity on the statuses of incumbent pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and incumbent hitting coach Dustin Kelly. Sahadev Sharma reported in The Athletic (Subscription Required) that both Hottovy and Kelly are expected to return to their respective positions for the 2024 season.

Both Hottovy and Kelly have had increased roles with the Cubs and the moves they make in the off-season. Last season, Kelly's previous work with Cody Bellinger with the Los Angeles Dodgers played a factor in Bellinger's signing with the Cubs. Hottovy, meanwhile, was speculated to potentially join the team's front office if he was not resuming his duties as the Cubs' pitching coaching staff.

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