CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs hired manager Craig Counsell away from Milwaukee on Monday, landing the former big leaguer with a record-breaking contract and firing David Ross in a tandem of surprising moves.

The 53-year-old Counsell became the majors’ highest paid manager with a five-year contract worth more than $40 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms weren’t announced.

Ross, 46, went 262-284 in four seasons with Chicago, winning the NL Central in 2020 in his first year in charge. He also was a beloved backup catcher for the Cubs when they won the 2016 World Series in a historic moment for the franchise.

Chicago was in position for an NL wild card this year before stumbling in September. It went 83-79 after finishing under .500 in the previous two seasons.

“On behalf of the Cubs organization, we express our deep gratitude for David’s contributions to our club, both on and off the field,” President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer said in a release. “First as a player and then as a manager, David continually showcased his ability to lead. David’s legacy will be felt in Chicago for generations and his impact to our organization will stack up with the legends that came before him.

“Going forward, our major league team will be managed by Craig Counsell. We look forward to welcoming Craig at Wrigley Field early next week.”

The addition of Counsell, who grew up in Milwaukee before becoming the Brewers’ winningest manager in franchise history, likely means the Cubs plan to be active in free agency. They are hoping to bring back Cody Bellinger for the middle of their lineup, and they also could go looking for help for their rotation.

Counsell led the budget-conscious Brewers to five playoff appearances in the last six years, including three NL Central titles. His contract expired at the end of the season, making him one of the biggest managerial free agents in recent years.

METS: New York is hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as its manager, according to a person familiar with the decision.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move had not been announced.

Mendoza spent the past four seasons across town as Aaron Boone’s bench coach with the Yankees. He replaces Buck Showalter, fired by the Mets at the end of last season after holding the job for two years.

It’s the first high-profile hire by new Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, who took over his hometown team early last month.

Mendoza, who turns 44 this month, has managed in the Venezuelan Winter League but never above Class A in the minors. He takes over a Mets team that finished fourth in the NL East this season at 75-87, which was 29 games behind first-place Atlanta, despite having the highest payroll in major league history under owner Steve Cohen.

GUARDIANS: Cleveland hired Stephen Vogt, a journeyman catcher with no managerial experience, as its new manager to replace Terry Francona, the team announced.

Vogt was Seattle’s bullpen coach last season.

Although the 39-year-old Vogt has never been a manager, he checked every other box for the Guardians, who also spoke with Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell about their opening last week.

A two-time All-Star, Vogt played for six teams in 10 seasons before retiring with Oakland in 2022. He homered in his final at-bat for the Athletics, a personal walk-off that capped a career he hoped would continue as a manager.

PADRES: The San Diego Padres declined their two-year, $32 million option on right-hander Michael Wacha, who then declined his one-year, $6.5 million option and became a free agent.

MARLINS: Miami hired Peter Bendix as its new president of baseball operations, a job that convinced him to leave the Tampa Bay Rays after 15 seasons.

Bendix had most recently been the Rays’ senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager. He and the Marlins struck the deal over the weekend, and Miami formally announced it.

The Marlins announced Bendix’s hiring one day before the start of baseball’s annual general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Bendix will take over the department previously overseen by Kim Ng, who had been general manager of the Marlins for the last three seasons. Ng elected to leave the team last month after she and Marlins owner Bruce Sherman evidently could not agree on the structure of the department going forward; the Marlins had exercised a contract option to keep Ng in 2024, but Ng declined.

YANKEES: Domingo Germán became a free agent when he refused an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the New York Yankees, five months after he pitched Major League Baseball’s 24th perfect game and three months after he entered alcohol abuse treatment.

Germán pitched the perfect game at Oakland on June 28, part of a season in which he went 5-7 with a 4.56 ERA in 19 starts and one relief appearance. His season ended Aug. 2, when he was placed on the restricted list two days before his 31st birthday. The Yankees said they made the move as he was entering treatment.

Germán is 31-28 with a 4.41 ERA in 89 starts and 23 relief appearances over six seasons. He would have been eligible for salary arbitration had he remained on the roster.

DIAMONDBACKS: Arizona extended Manager Torey Lovullo’s contract through the 2026 season following the team’s surprising run to the World Series, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.

FREE AGENCY:  Two-way star Shohei Ohtani was among seven players who received $20,325,000 qualifying offers from their former teams as the free-agent market opened for 168 players.

All seven players are likely to turn down the offers by the Nov. 14 deadline to accept in favor of multiyear contracts on the open market.

In addition to the Los Angeles Angels’ offer to Ohtani, the others to receive qualifying offers were outfielder Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs), pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell (San Diego), Aaron Nola (Philadelphia), Sonny Gray (Minnesota) and third baseman Matt Chapman (Toronto).

ATHLETICS: Miguel Andujar was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 28-year-old outfielder and infielder hit .250 with four homers and 18 RBI in 90 plate appearances in his second season with the Pirates, who claimed him off waivers from the New York Yankees in September 2022. Andujar batted .338 with 16 homers and 86 RBI in 103 games this year with Triple-A Indianapolis.