3 Milwaukee Brewers Craig Counsell replacements to make the Cubs pay
By Mark Powell
Former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell is the new most hated man in Wisconsin, simulating Brett Favre from all those years ago. Counsell left the Brewers -- a franchise in which he was closing in on icon status -- to become the new manager of the Chicago Cubs.
For all those Cubs fans who enjoy mocking American Family Field as 'Wrigley North', this provided the ultimate trash talk material. Counsell signed a five-year, $40 million contract to become the highest-paid manager in baseball history, surpassing Joe Torre. In many ways, the Cubs view Counsell as an on-field acquisition, or someone who does far more than just fill out a lineup card.
Replacing Counsell will be no easy task for the Brewers. They have set some initial interviews, including those already in the organization. Steven Vogt would have been a popular choice had he not just signed on with the Cleveland Guardians. David Ross, just fired by the Cubs, is not expected to be in the running despite how petty and hilarious that would be.
Pat Murphy makes a lot of sense to replace Craig Counsell
Pat Murphy is the top internal candidate for the Brewers managerial job, it would seem. The Brewers bench coach is a veteran in the game, and respected in the Milwaukee clubhouse. Should he not stay with the Brewers as their next manager, there's a decent chance he could join the Chicago Cubs staff under David Ross.
As David Gasper of Reviewing the Brew points out, Murphy is the easy choice if the Brewers would prefer to name a new manager early in the offseason:
"Murphy may be the choice if the Brewers want to get a new manager named as quickly as possible. If they aren't too interested in looking externally, Murphy could soon be the name. If the process drags on, it could become less and less likely that Murph ends up with the job," Gasper wrote.
The longer this search goes, though, the more likely it is that Milwaukee would prefer an external candidate. That could lead to Murphy taking another top assistant job elsewhere, such as with the Cubs.