Craig Counsell’s Chicago Cubs coaching staff will have a new look in 2026.

Major league strategy coach Alex Smith reportedly is taking a role as the vice president of baseball strategy with the Detroit Tigers. The Athletic first broke the news Wednesday night, citing league sources.

[MORE: Was the 2025 season a success for Cubs?]

Smith joined the Cubs in 2015 as a baseball operations trainee, then worked his way to the coordinator of baseball operations. He was named to former manager David Ross’ coaching staff ahead of the 2023 season and remained on staff when Counsell took over before the 2024 season.

The Tigers’ president of baseball operations, Scott Harris, spent seven seasons with the Cubs after joining the organization in 2012 as the director of baseball operations. Smith will rejoin Harris in Detroit’s front office.

[READ: Kyle Tucker free agency headlines Top 5 Cubs MLB offseason questions]

Smith was a key figure in the Cubs’ data and information aspect. Ian Happ credited Smith back in 2023 with helping in his development as a defender. Happ has won three straight NL Gold Glove awards in left field and is a finalist for a fourth, which he could take home when the awards are announced Sunday evening.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said at his end-of-season press conference that the team hoped that they would “retain our coaching staff,” but also acknowledged that might not be possible.

Watch Jed Hoyer’s full end-of-season press conference only on the Marquee Sports Network app.

“You never want to lose anyone, but you also want people to be able to continue to advance, and we may not have those roles available,” Hoyer said.

The biggest question mark on the Cubs coaching staff lies in their bench coach, Ryan Flaherty. He’s been linked to some managerial openings, including the San Diego Padres’ vacancy. Flaherty was San Diego’s bench coach in 2023. There are currently four manager openings: San Diego, the Colorado Rockies, the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves.