Pat Murphy's $8.95 Million Pay Bump Still Means Brewers Got a Steal

Can Brewers fans think of any other notable recent manager contracts?

Jul 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (21) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It's hard to imagine a more universally positive reaction than Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy received for his three-year extension on Thursday evening.

Murphy, the back-to-back National League Manager of the Year winner, was locked up through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. If the option is exercised, he would manage until the end of his age-70 season.

But let's talk about the specifics of the money, because ESPN's Jeff Passan reported a while after the deal was first reported that Murphy would receive $8.95 million in new, guaranteed money. What does that mean in the context of the rest of the sport's manager salaries?

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Murphy "one of highest-paid managers"

Jun 24, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy during the first inning of their game against the Texas Rangers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL-Imagn Images | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-Imagn Images

"Pat Murphy's new deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, which adds two years onto his contract and includes a club option for 2029, guarantees $8.95 million in new money and makes him one of the highest-paid managers in MLB, sources tell ESPN," wrote Passan.

Not all manager salaries are publicly disclosed, and we don't know what Murphy is making this year officially. But the most this deal could realistically guarantee him per year would be $4.475 million, if the whole sum were applied to years two and three.

Per Front Office Sports, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts became the sport's new highest-paid manager with his recent extension at $8.1 million per year. He took the crown from Craig Counsell, who famously left the Brewers for a five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs that guaranteed him $8 million per year.

It's hard to imagine the deal gets Murphy anywhere close to the $7.3 million earned by the Boston Red Sox's Alex Cora, and he's probably short of $5 million annually as well, which ranks Torey Lovullo of the Arizona Diamondbacks fourth.

Aaron Boone and Bruce Bochy were tied at fifth at $4.5 million, per Front Office Sports, and then there's a big group of managers at $4 million each, which ranked tied for seventh. Assuming Murphy's $8.95 million applies to 2027 and 2028 and is split evenly, he might move into solo seventh place.

Translation: it's still incredible value for the Brewers, who know they have one of the biggest difference makers in the sport at the helm.

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