This guy hasn't had a cobbled up rotation his entire competitive tenure and has had a mind boggling bullpen the entire time. The closest to that would be 2018.
If you are going to be condescending, at least find something provable. Not sit here and claim everything good is an attribute to Counsell managing the team even though it very well might have nothing to do with Counsell. Are we outplaying our projections because of Counsell or because we have elite pitching (notably bullpen arms) to win a ridiculously abnormal number of close games? Literally no one here knows the impact Counsell does or does not have. Definitely a good impact, but past that it is quite a gray area.
There is 100% many guys out there that could manage just as well as Counsell, if not better. The problem is, it isn't exactly easy to figure out who they are. A lot of these guys seem good at face value (especially the former player types) and some end up not so great in the grand scheme. It isn't a matter if we can or can't find someone to do a similar job for half the price...we can. It is whether or not it is worth risking ending up with someone notably worse trying to save $5mil or whatever that price may be. I am definitely in the camp of paying him and not finding out what the alternative is...but then again, I am not the one who needs to pony up the likely $5mil+ a year more to do so.
Counsell is just like anyone else on the payroll. $7mil guy is better, but is he so much better than the guy for $2.5mil? Are the results outweighing the additional cost? That is the question. The Brewers can easily afford to pay Counsell...but they may not feel his added value is worth the added cost.