It seems that if the New York Mets did seriously pursue Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell, they may have to wait awhile.
The New York Mets head into a very important next few months. The reason is after a massively disappointing showing in the 2023 season, there will need to be some adjustments to the roster that will come after the organization fills some key managerial positions.
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After a year of looking the franchise finally hired a new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, and he started in his new role this week. However, with the news that the long open spot had been addressed came a great deal of change in a couple of major positions.
First, manager Buck Showalter was shown the door after two seasons with the team, and then general manager Billy Eppler shockingly resigned last week.
New York Mets pursuit of Craig Counsell may have to wait a few weeks
While Eppler’s departure was not expected, there had been speculation Showalter’s tenure in Flushing was already on shaky ground and there had already been a few names suggested as potential replacements. One of them is Brewers skipper Craig Counsell since his contract is up after this season and Stearns worked with him during his time in Milwaukee.
- Craig Counsell record: 707-625
While the 53-year-old will be a top candidate for the Mets job and any other opening in the league this offseason, there may be a bump in the road for interested teams. On Saturday, the New York Post reported that while the Brewers season is officially over, Counsell will not be available to talk to teams until Oct. 31 when his contract officially ends.
That could be problematic if the Mets or any team chooses to wait on Counsell and miss out on other top-level candidates who take other jobs. The report does note that an interested organization could get permission to talk to Counsell Milwaukee. However, the Brewers helping a former executive add their manager to a National League rival remains to be seen.