Milwaukee Brewers extend manager Craig Counsell through 2023

The Milwaukee Brewers are extending manager Craig Counsell’s contract through the 2023 season. First reported by Robert Murray, the club announced the extension shortly after.

Milwaukee hired Counsell as manager back in 2015 after firing then manager Ron Roenicke. After going through a short rebuild and back-to-back losing seasons, Counsell’s Brewers had their first winning record in 2017 at 86-76. After that, Craig has taken his team to consecutive playoff appearances, being lauded along the way for his September pitching management.

Counsell is now a two-time runner up for NL Manager of the Year and one of the most respected in the game. He is tied for the fourth-best winning record in franchise history, among managers that watched over the team for at least a full season. He is the only Brewers manager to go to the playoffs twice during his tenure, let alone back-to-back. If Counsell makes it to the end of his extension, he'll be the longest-tenured manager in franchise history.

While the contract extension is great news for fans of Craig, it’s also only a modest commitment on the Brewers’ end. Should the ship fall apart and Counsell no longer be deemed a suitable captain, the team can still move on from him without much loss. I imagine it would take at least two losing seasons to bring the management to that point considering he seemed to be groomed for this role by the front office in the Doug Melvin-era.

Managerial statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference