The Chicago Cubs have made a significant offseason decision by naming John Steinmiller, formerly with the Blackhawks, as their new senior director of media relations on Monday. This move is part of the Cubs' offseason, where President Jed Hoyer has been waiting for the prices of free agents to drop..
It’s They are not bringing back Cody Bellinger, but the new hire is still noteworthy during this Cubs offseason.At least the Rickettses are taking this key position seriously, as it serves as the bridge between the local media and manager Craig Counsell and his players.
Steinmiller, who replaces veteran Jason Carr, has been in the business since 2005 and has a good relationship with Counsell and the Chicago media, including the writer of this article.
Steinmiller still accepted the job, which is commendable given the challenging nature of media relations for a major market team like the Cubs.
Taking on the media relations role for a professional sports team, especially a major market team like the Cubs, is a thankless job.
This job involves dealing with cranky managers, players who may not want to talk to the media, and reporters constantly asking about President Jed Hoyer's availability. The responsibility of a media relations boss is to ensure the team always appears in the best light, especially during controversial news stories. The relationship between the media and athletes has changed over the last 20 years, with less access for reporters, fewer stars talking before or after games, and front-office executives prioritizing national writers over beat writers.
A media relations boss must handle damage control during controversial news stories, a skill Steinmiller should be well-prepared for after working for the Blackhawks.
Some aspects of media relations have become an art form, as seen in the Blackhawks organization in recent years.
The writer of this column recalls an incident where they received a reprimand from one of Steinmiller's media relations assistants at a Blackhawks game.
Since then, the writer has avoided the Blackhawks locker room and will not have to worry about accidentally stepping on any logos in the Cubs' clubhouse.
Steinmiller reminded the writer of a past reference to the new Cubs manager in the Chicago Tribune, which the writer confirmed through a quick Google search.
During a Cubs-Brewers series preview in August 2018, the writer made a reference to the managers, including calling Counsell 'tragically unhip,' which they now regret. The writer apologized for the inaccurate portrayal of Counsell as 'tragically unhip' in the Chicago Tribune. The writer expressed regret for the previous characterization of Counsell in the Chicago Tribune.
Counsell has been around for a long time and probably doesn’t need any help from Steinmiller on handling the Chicago baseball media, which is larger and a bit more sarcastic than the Milwaukee media, except for the Marquee Sports Network, the Cubs-owned outlet that treated former manager David Ross as blameless during the team’s end-of-season collapse.
Hoyer obviously disagreed and made the right decision to replace Ross with Counsell, whose $40 million contract is the biggest for any MLB manager ever.
Counsell appears to have an offbeat sense of humor, which will likely be important as he starts the long grind of spring training in two weeks in Mesa, Ariz. As former manager Lou Piniella said in spring training 2007: “This is no easy operation, I can tell you that.”
After a quiet start to the offseason, the Cubs have made a couple of significant moves since the new year, signing Japanese starter Shota Imanaga and reliever Héctor Neris. Everyone still expects Hoyer to re-sign Bellinger, but until he’s in camp it’s just guesswork.
“Anyone can make a deal,” Hoyer told fans at the Cubs Convention. “Anyone can agree to an agent’s asking price. If you do that, you’re going to run out of money very quickly.”
I doubt the Rickettses will ever run out of money, regardless of how much they give Bellinger or anyone else. But if Hoyer signs Bellinger at a low price, his strategy will have worked and most fans will be happy. If Bellinger signs elsewhere, the Cubs could be looking at another 80-win season.
Everything really depends on one decision.
The 2024 season is almost here, but there’s still time to make a move or two. Hopefully Hoyer gives his new media relations director something to do as Steinmiller starts his new job on Feb. 5.
Those press releases don’t write themselves.
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