Murphy it is

[jw5511986]

1 hour ago, nate82 said:

I am going with Weeks as the bench coach.  Your 2027 Brewers manager also.

I said this when the opening first popped up, I can live with Weeks getting on the job training behind Murphy.

[Jim French Stepstool]

Like a couple of others have said, uninspiring but not necessarily a bad hire. They must feel he fits the plan moving forward, whatever that might be. It's been a while since the Brewers have headed into an off season as undefined as this one, so strap in.

Not thrilled about Weeks. Would much rather see McKinven or Quintin Berry as bench coach.

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Cheap stopgap hire ☑️

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Curious, is it just me or does it seem as though there really wasn't much of an exhaustive search or interview process to this? Heard some rumored names, but didn't hear much about formal interviews. Filling the spot just seemed somewhat unimportant and an afterthought.

[PlayerHader]

7 hours ago, edfunderburk said:

I’m not a fan of Murphy as manager nor am I happy with Weeks as bench coach … yuck & yuck … there could have been no worse choices in my opinion 🤮

I’m curious about posts like this. I can understand being underwhelmed or claiming it to be the “least exciting choice” but what do you know about these two guys vs the others available that make them the worst choices, bar none?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Hot take: they'll be about the same as they have been provided they don't firesale this winter, and Chicago will end up looking silly paying a manager $8 million.  

[OldSchoolSnapper]

57 minutes ago, True Blue Brew Crew said:

Curious, is it just me or does it seem as though there really wasn't much of an exhaustive search or interview process to this? Heard some rumored names, but didn't hear much about formal interviews. Filling the spot just seemed somewhat unimportant and an afterthought.

It's a boring hire no doubt. But they have a good cultural thing going. I'm not at all surprised they did it this way.  

[Jopal78]

42 minutes ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

It's a boring hire no doubt. But they have a good cultural thing going. I'm not at all surprised they did it this way.  

… and the “culture” will last right up until they lose 85+ games. Winning= culture. 
 

But I agree it’s a boring hire. Murphy likely won’t be around for the next success cycle, and I suppose this is a way of running it back as best they can without Counsell 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Boring hire, but also the right one. This team is not in tear-down mode. They are coming off a 92-win season, and anticipate having the core of that team coming back. The loss of Woodruff for what likely will be most of if not all of 2024 hurts, but it isn't like he was around for most of 2023. Perhaps Burnes is dealt, but if he is, it's going to be for a very good package of young players. 

The way Counsell left sucks, but let's not forget that he is the most successful manager in this team's history. And Murphy has been his mentor his whole career. Murphy is very well respected both within and outside the organization. Time will tell whether its the right hire, but of the candidates out there, it by far makes the most sense.

[edfunderburk]

1 hour ago, PlayerHader said:

I’m curious about posts like this. I can understand being underwhelmed or claiming it to be the “least exciting choice” but what do you know about these two guys vs the others available that make them the worst choices, bar none?

Notice the last three words in my post: “in my opinion”

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

1 minute ago, edfunderburk said:

Notice the last three words in my post

Pretty sure he was asking what evidence you used to form that opinion.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

43 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

… and the “culture” will last right up until they lose 85+ games. Winning= culture. 
 

But I agree it’s a boring hire. Murphy likely won’t be around for the next success cycle, and I suppose this is a way of running it back as best they can without Counsell 

I'm not sure how a sexy manager would be any different. Yeah, when you lose, things tend to change. I'm sure if they hired Robin Yount he'd also be fired when they consistently lose 85 games.

I like Craig Counsell. I wish he would have stayed. But I think his influence on their success has been laughably overstated. I think Craig is in for a rude awakening when he tries to replicate the success he'd had with their bullpen. I'm sure a drastic roster overhaul is coming for CHC though. 

It makes sense me to keep the continuity going when you're consistently finishing top 1/4 of the league. They can't get over the hump because they can't hit. It's not the guy rubbing his face in the dugout.

[CheeseheadInQC]

2 hours ago, True Blue Brew Crew said:

Curious, is it just me or does it seem as though there really wasn't much of an exhaustive search or interview process to this? Heard some rumored names, but didn't hear much about formal interviews. Filling the spot just seemed somewhat unimportant and an afterthought.

I think it is more likely that the rumored names were either backup plans in case Murphy bombed his interview or just names leaked as favors to agents. They knew Counsell leaving was a possibility for a while, even if the team was a surprise. They had a whole year to evaluate if Murphy was right for the job. If they thought he was, and an interview or two confirmed that his vision going forward aligned with that of the front office, why go through an elaborate process for show?

[Oxy]

8 hours ago, beekay414 said:

We would be beyond stupid to risk Burnes value by trying to compete in 2024. 

I don't know what this means...We would be beyond stupid to not listen to calls, but we'd be equally beyond stupid to shop him at any cost.  There is an argument that his value will be HIGHER at the trade deadline that it will be in the offseason.

I guess you are worried that we would "go for it" this year by keeping everybody, making a poor FA signing or two and then win 88 games yet have 2% chance of getting to the WS let alone win it.  And in the process we lose Burnes and Adames for zilch.  That's only slightly concerning to me.  I just don't think Adames or Burnes is going to get much in return this offseason, I have higher hopes for a better return at the deadline--especially when combined with the minimal chances of everything breaking right and making a miracle run in the postseason and getting some high draft picks.

[homer]

what if they signed Murphy to a contract worth $8.000.001 per year

[MrTPlush]

'24 is a weird year. Murphy is going to be dirt cheap and require very little investment in terms of years. If he seems good, GREAT! If not, just can the dude and look for a manager at the beginning of FA and not a few weeks into it after Counsell is done clowning around. As I said before the other thread got closed, who isn't going to be available next offseason, that we could have signed this offseason? 

[SeaBass]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I think Craig is in for a rude awakening when he tries to replicate the success he'd had with their bullpen.

We've already seen it in late '22 after the Hader trade. (Heck, during Hader's struggle period too.)

I stand by my opinion that it's players that make managers look good or bad and that the Brewers writing CC a blank check wasn't a good idea (one they ultimately agreed with). I'm glad it's the Cubs that get to test that theory. Maybe "glad" is a strong word but hopefully you know what I mean.

As far as Murphy, yeah he's not an exciting hire but he just might be the right hire. If so many people loved CC and wanted him to stay there should be some hope that Murphy is more than capable of being CC lite, especially considering he's been a mentor to CC and bench coach since 2015 (Edit: he was hired after the 2015 season, so in effect 2016). The guy just might have some idea how this baseball thing works.

[bensheeps]

I glad to see that the Brewers brass learned from history...Don't wait until the middle of the year to bring in the older, longtime coach to run the show.  Kuenn got them to the World Series in '82 taking over in the middle of the season; Murphy will surely finish the deal with being in charge since Day 1.  🙂 

[sveumrules]

4 hours ago, True Blue Brew Crew said:

Cheap stopgap hire ☑️

Just like Mendoza with the Mets, Espada with the Astros, Vogt with Cleveland.

For all his altruism, Counsell’s record deal doesn’t seem to have had much impact on the managerial market yet.

[Jopal78]

1 hour ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I'm not sure how a sexy manager would be any different. Yeah, when you lose, things tend to change. I'm sure if they hired Robin Yount he'd also be fired when they consistently lose 85 games.

I like Craig Counsell. I wish he would have stayed. But I think his influence on their success has been laughably overstated. I think Craig is in for a rude awakening when he tries to replicate the success he'd had with their bullpen. I'm sure a drastic roster overhaul is coming for CHC though. 

It makes sense me to keep the continuity going when you're consistently finishing top 1/4 of the league. They can't get over the hump because they can't hit. It's not the guy rubbing his face in the dugout.

You’re right, the talent on the roster dictates how many wins the team has not the guy in the dugout hollering at the umpires. Culture and chemistry are just buzz words.
 

My main point is, when the well regarded GM quits and the well regarded manger follows suit less than a year later, you can’t get the help but get the feeling “we’re over”. 
 

That’s where a bold new hire would maybe make things seem new exciting. Whereas Murphy feels like the organizational soldier who gets his chance to call the shots while the pieces are sold off for the future. 
 

 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

4 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

You’re right, the talent on the roster dictates how many wins the team has not the guy in the dugout hollering at the umpires. Culture and chemistry are just buzz words.
 

My main point is, when the well regarded GM quits and the well regarded manger follows suit less than a year later, you can’t get the help but get the feeling “we’re over”. 
 

That’s where a bold new hire would maybe make things seem new exciting. Whereas Murphy feels like the organizational soldier who gets his chance to call the shots while the pieces are sold off for the future. 
 

 

I don't know about that. Arnold's batting average as far as moves working out is looking pretty decent right now. 

[sveumrules]

5 minutes ago, Jopal78 said:

My main point is, when the well regarded GM quits and the well regarded manger follows suit less than a year later, you can’t get the help but get the feeling “we’re over”. 

Nobody quit anything. Neither Stearns nor Counsell were beholden to Milwaukee.

Did Sabathia or Fielder quit when they signed elsewhere as highly regarded free agents?

[Fear The Chorizo]

15 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Just like Mendoza with the Mets, Espada with the Astros, Vogt with Cleveland.

For all his altruism, Counsell’s record deal doesn’t seem to have had much impact on the managerial market yet.

All these cheap teams not paying market value

[Underachiever]

Without any rationale to back it up, I wanted a new face in there. Maybe he was the brains behind the whole operation the whole time!

I imagine in my disgruntlement over CC's departure, I could have picked apart any hire. My first snarky thought was, "what, Pat Corrales wasn't available? Frank Lucchesi? Larry Bowa? Bobby Valentine? Lee Elia would have been a good choice. <Insert old grumpy-looking guy name>?"

[LouisEly]

10 hours ago, beekay414 said:

We would be beyond stupid to risk Burnes value by trying to compete in 2024. 

Which is why Murphy might be the right hire.

Assuming the Brewers do deal Burnes and go rebuild, they will have a team full of young players.  They need a coach who is good at working with young players.  Murphy was a college coach so he has experience managing young players.  Managers such as Mattingly, Ross, other major league bench coaches, etc., who have not managed in the minors or college may not be as good of a fit for a young team because they may be used to managing veterans.  Minor league managers have experience working with young players but not managing, or even playing, in the majors.  Murphy gives them both - experience managing young players and experience in the majors.  Plus, he knows the young players on the team and knows their strengths/weaknesses/what they need for development.

Maybe he is the right hire, maybe he isn't - we'll find out.  But I see reasons for why he would be a good fit for this team in 2024.