MLB Rumors: Shocking Red Sox-Dodgers trade, Braves sleeper target, Mets manager frontrunner

MLB Rumors: Craig Counsell's interest in joining Mets is 'real'

Craig Counsell is a Milwaukee lifer who has spent the last nine years managing the Brewers, with great success. It's the perfect marriage between manager and team, at least on paper. That's why the sudden possibility of Craig Counsell's departure has shocked so many. But, it is possible, and right now, the biggest threat to Milwaukee is none other than the New York Mets.

Here's the thing about the Mets. Roster talent, front office stability, and competitive standing are all strikes against them, but it doesn't matter. Steve Cohen has deep pockets and, according to Jon Heyman and Mike Puma of the New York Post, Counsell is interested in "raising the bar" for manager salaries. The Mets are a natural fit.

It doesn't hurt that new Mets president David Stearns developed a close working relationship with Counsell over the years in Milwaukee. It also doesn't hurt that New York is primed to chase several high-profile free agents with huge offers while the Brewers are judging which high-profile star to trade to cut costs.

Per the NY Post, Counsell's interest in joining the Mets is "real." It would be a huge get for a New York franchise in desperate need of a facelift and a bit more respectability after years of dysfunction. There's no guarantee of an immediate turnaround, but one has to imagine the odds with Counsell are higher than the odds with somebody else. He's one of the best in the business, and that's why you spend the money. To hire the best in the business.