Mets Rumors: Brewers' Craig Counsell Has 'Serious' Interest in NYM Manager Job

Expected to be one of the hottest managerial candidates of this cycle, Milwaukee Brewers skipper Craig Counsell has "serious" interest in the top job with the New York Mets, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman and Mike Puma.

Counsell, 53, is set to have his contract expire with the Brewers this week but the organization are allowing him to interview with other teams while still hoping to keep him in town.

He was in Cleveland on Monday to interview with the Cleveland Guardians, according to The Athletic's Zack Meisel and Will Sammon.

While Counsell has some deep ties to Milwaukee, having grown up there while his father was the Brewers' community relations director and still lives there with his wife and four children, several sources told Heyman and Puma that Counsell and his wife really like New York.

It also doesn't hurt that the Mets' have much deeper pockets than Milwaukee and that Counsell has a great working relationship with the organization's new baseball president David Stearns, who left the Brewers at the end of the regular season. He reportedly has Counsell right up at the top of his list of candidates.

The Brewers are still very much in play, however and made an offer soon after the season ended, Counsell chose to look over all his options.

If he does take the job in New York, Counsell would be replacing Buck Showalter, who was fired by Stearns at the end of a disappointing season.

Based on the interest, it's expected that Counsell will become baseball's highest-paid manager.

Since Counsell took over in Milwaukee back in 2015, he's found tremendous success, racking up a record of 707-625 while clinching three NL Central division titles, including one in 2023.

He even managed to lead the organization to the NLCS in 2018, a first since the Brewers switched over to the National League in 1998.