The Milwaukee Brewers are staring at a familiar crossroads, and the moment feels closer than many expected. This managerial tension echoes how Craig Counsell’s tenure quietly reached its breaking point. Pat Murphy’s contract as Brewers manager runs through the 2026 season. That timeline matters. The last time the Brewers waited this long, Counsell walked away to the Chicago Cubs on a five-year, $40 million deal. The memory still lingers across the NL Central.
Murphy has done everything possible to change the conversation. He won NL Manager of the Year in 2024. He did it again in 2025. Last season, he led the Brewers to a league-best 97–65 record and another NL Central title. The team played with confidence and edge. Under the stadium lights, Milwaukee felt steady again. The Brewers outlasted the Cubs in a tense five-game NLDS before reality arrived in the NLCS, where the Dodgers swept them. The ending hurt. The progress did not.
That success only sharpens the stakes.
A lesson the Brewers already lived
The Craig Counsell departure remains the cautionary tale. After the 2023 season, Counsell accepted the Cubs job, leaving Milwaukee scrambling for continuity. In response, the Brewers moved quickly, promoting Murphy on November 16, 2023. It was a risk. And it paid off. Now, however, the same cycle threatens to repeat itself from the opposite side.
Meanwhile, Murphy’s value is no longer internal. The Brewers trust him. Opposing executives respect him. As his contract moves closer to expiration, outside interest will only grow. Because of that, waiting invites noise. Acting early, by contrast, signals belief.
This isn’t panic. Instead, it’s awareness. Milwaukee has a proven leader who delivered wins, hardware, and belief. Still, the Brewers know how fragile stability can be when timing slips.
So the question now feels unavoidable. Will the Brewers secure Pat Murphy before the clock gets loud again, or let history test them twice?
