SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Brewers general manager Matt Arnold knew the team could lose longtime manager Craig Counsell in free agency. He didn’t expect it would be to the Cubs.
“Everything that Craig has done, all the accolades, he deserves,” Arnold said at the general manager meetings Wednesday. “I certainly enjoyed our time together. I’ll always have good memories working with Craig Counsell, there’s no question about that. He’s still my friend and my neighbor. But at the same time, we’re going to be competing against each other, and it should be a lot of fun.”
The Brewers now have their own manager search, a process that could affect Counsell’s staff in Chicago.
“I think we had a really good coaching staff; I’m sure a lot of those guys will be back,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “But there may be some reshuffling of roles and things like that. Those are his decisions. Obviously, he’s going to ask my opinion, but clearly, you don’t give him the contract we gave him and make that aggressive move in order to handpick a staff for him.”
But if Counsell wants to bring any Brewers coaches with him, he faces a couple of hurdles. His bench coach, Pat Murphy, is “in [a] very real discussion” for the Brewers’ managerial opening, Arnold said. If Murphy is hired, it would be reasonable to assume the rest of the coaching staff would return.
The Brewers have contract agreements in place with the rest of their coaches. It’s also common practice for teams to include protection against poaching in some contracts, which will affect some members of the staff, according to sources.
“We are always starting with people first,” Arnold said. “If it’s a good opportunity for somebody else, we would certainly be open to having that discussion.”
If the Brewers go with an external candidate for manager, Arnold said they would give that manager the chance to pick his own bench coach but would offer Murphy another position with the club.
Reminiscing about Ohtani
Hoyer declined to comment on any free agents. But he was open to reminiscing about the Cubs’ meeting with Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s top free agent this winter, back in 2017.
The Cubs were among the seven finalists to meet with Ohtani when he made the transition from Japan to MLB.
“We had a great meeting,” he said. “We prepared a ton. There was a really good dialogue, good conversation. . . . The ability to DH as opposed to play outfield was certainly something that was discussed at that time, so it doesn’t surprise me in the end that he picked an AL team. But wish we could roll back the clock and take a shot at it again.”
The Cubs can’t do that, but they are expected to speak with Ohtani’s representatives this winter.
Morel at first
The Cubs are trying to find the best defensive position for exciting utility player Christopher Morel. This offseason, they’ll have him work on first base.
“He’s shown he can play third, he’s shown he can play second, he can play in the outfield,” Hoyer said. “But finding a home for him is something that would be really valuable.”
Morel has looked most comfortable at second base, but the Cubs have Gold Glove second baseman Nico Hoerner under contract through 2026.
