MLB Rumors: Craig Counsell Wants to Reset Manager Market; Won't Give Brewers Discount

The Milwaukee Brewers may have been managed by Craig Counsell since 2015, but that doesn't necessarily mean the team will get a discount.

Counsell "will not be compelled to take a hometown discount" because of his motivation to reset the market for MLB managers, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg and Todd Rosiak.

Since his Brewers contract expired Tuesday, Counsell has interviewed with the New York Mets and Cleveland Guardians.

Counsell will stay with the Brewers, Hogg and Rosiak reported— but only if Milwaukee matches the top offer he could get from another team.

That offer is most likely to come from New York, where Mets owner Steve Cohen assembled the most expensive team in MLB history last season.

Counsell has led the Brewers to five playoff appearances in the last six season and holds an all-time 707-625 record.

He holds the franchise record for the most wins in Brewers history and finished second in voting for NL Manager of the Year in 2019 and 2021.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, six MLB managers earned less than $1 million in 2023, while an additional nine earned $1.75 million or less.

At the beginning of October, just six MLB managers were set to make more than $3 million per year in 2024, per Nightengale.

Counsell will likely be added to that list. He made $3.5 million in 2023 and is "seeking to at least double" that amount next year, according to Hogg and Rosiak.

If Counsell finds a team willing to pay him upwards of $7 million, it will mark a new high for MLB managers. According to the New York Post's Jon Heyman, former Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona's $4.5 million annual salary made him the highest-paid manager in the MLB last season.

It could be time for the market to shift. Some MLB managers could currently get a raise by managing a college baseball team instead. Ten college baseball managers earn an annual salary of $1.2 million or more, according to Nightengale.

In addition to the Mets, Guardians and Brewers, Hogg previously reported the Houston Astros have expressed interest in bidding for Counsell.

Hogg and Rosiak expect talks between the Brewers and their former manager to "ramp up" as annual GM meetings take place in Scottsdale, Arizona from November 7-9.