Pat Murphy Shared New Twist From Brewers-Craig Counsell Split

The Brewers certainly made the right call it seems...

Aug 4, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) makes a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers entered the 2024 season with a lot of uncertainty.

Throughout the offseason, manager Craig Counsell left in a stunning move to join the Chicago Cubs. This decision in itself rubbed the fanbase the wrong way. That's not all, though. The Brewers also traded Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. Those are two big losses, to say the least.

Milwaukee hired Pat Murphy to replace Counsell and despite low expectations, the Brewers won the National League Central and went 93-69 on the season. Murphy went on to win the National League Manager of the Year Award and now has the Brewers in an even better position. Milwaukee has a real shot at breaking the franchise record for wins in a season and is on a historic pace right now.

Murphy has pushed all of the right buttons this season and the Brewers arguably are the top overall team in baseball, despite low expectations once again. Losing Counsell was tough, but Murphy has picked up the pieces and has kept the organization not only in the right direction, but has helped to make it even better than it was.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy reveals how close he was to joining Cubs

Aug 17, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) during the tenth inning in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Right now, the Brewers are in the middle of a series against the Cubs and so naturally, Counsell has come up a lot. Murphy was asked about Counsell and whether there was a point in which he thought he would join the old Brewers manager in Chicago and shared that there was a time in which he did think that was going to happen.

"Heck yeah," Murphy said when asked if he thought he'd go to the Cubs. "Counsell and I talked about it...He got contacted and took the job. It all happened in a day. People think it was a long, drawn out process and it was always in the works. No it wasn't. Jed Hoyer followed the thing to a tee. He knew he couldn't contact Counsell until a certain date and he didn't. I obviously got involved in that and had no idea if the Brewers would be interested."

Murphy has burst onto the scene as one of the best managers in the game. Imagine if he had left too?

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