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Reports have already emerged that Pat Murphy, bench coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, is a top candidate for the New York Mets’ managerial opening. But he is not the member of Craig Counsell’s coaching staff drawing interest from other big league teams this offseason. According to Mark Feinsand out of New York, Milwaukee’s bullpen coach could be on the Yankees’ radar this winter:
Interesting name to watch in Yankees' pitching coach search: Steve Karsay. Current Brewers bullpen coach, former NYY pitcher; was Indians' Triple-A PC from 2016-18 and a PC in Cleveland's system for seven years overall. Popular with young pitchers, big proponent of analytics.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 28, 2019
Steve Karsay was hired as the “bullpen coach” following the end of the 2018 season, but he and fellow first-year coach Chris Hook have been referred to at times as “co-pitching coaches” because of the way they share duties in helping the pitching staff. The symbiotic approach ended up working out well enough for the club this year, as the Brewers finished right in the middle of MLB with a 4.40 ERA despite numerous injuries throughout the year. The group flourished for the second straight September once rosters expanded, helping boost the team to a 20-7 run to finish out an 89 win campaign and secure a Wild Card slot.
Additionally, the club could experience a brain drain coming out of the front office. Multiple reporters have indicated that Assistant GM Matt Arnold is under consideration for the vacancy in Pittsburgh:
One name I’ve heard connected to Pirates GM opening: Brewers assistant GM Matt Arnold.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) October 28, 2019
“He’s deserving and should get a chance,” one high-ranking rival executive said.
Three names I've heard thus far for the Pirates' GM gig: Tony LaCava (ex-Blue Jays), Marc DelPiano (Yankees) and Matt Arnold (Brewers).
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) October 28, 2019
Arnold joined the Brewers shortly after the arrival of David Stearns in 2015, and he’s served as his top lieutenant ever since. This is not the first time Arnold has been linked to other front office openings, as he was a candidate for the San Francisco job last winter. As Jaymes suggested on Twitter, one way that the franchise could attempt to keep Arnold would be for Slingin’ Stearns to continue forward as President of Baseball Operations and give up his General Manager title, bestowing it upon his deputy along with an increase in salary.