The Brewers found a gem in manager Pat Murphy. In his first two seasons as manager of the Brewers, he led the team to 190 regular season wins, two division titles and an NLCS appearance. He has won multiple NL Manager of the Year titles. He has become a great manager for the Brewers. However, his future is somewhat murky as he approaches the 2026 season with just one year left on his contract.
Following the departure of Craig Counsell to the Cubs after his contract expired, the Brewers turned to Murphy. He had been Counsell’s bench coach since 2016 and was the leading candidate for the job. He signed a three-year contract, and at the time it looked like this would happen during a rebuilding period. Instead, Murphy has kept the team strong despite continued doubts about the Brewers’ roster.
Even with those strong two seasons, Murphy has not received a contract extension. His original three-year contract expires after 2026. This is concerning, especially after Counsell’s departure. No one expected Counsell to move on to another team during his tenure with the Brewers. However, he shocked everyone when he went to the Cubs and signed a recording contract for a manager. Now Murphy finds himself in a similar situation. With his success in his first two seasons, he could get the opportunity to sign a similar contract.
Right now, Murphy is saying what you would want to hear from a manager of the team. In an article by ESPN’s Jeff PassanMurphy said, “I found a home. If I’m going to do it for another 10 years, I’d like to do it in Milwaukee.” At the same time, there is reason to be skeptical. Counsell said nothing negative about the Brewers during his contract period. For him, it was about raising the bar for manager salaries, and the Brewers didn’t offer that. He also left for a team with more financial resources.
Murphy finds himself in a position where he has to weigh his current position with the Brewers against his future. He knows he doesn’t have many contracts left in his career. Maximizing its value will be important. There is also the desire to win. While the Brewers have shown they can remain competitive year after year, Milwaukee’s resources are also fewer than other teams. That must also play a role in every decision. There is also the possibility of retirement for Murphy. Although he has expressed a desire to continue leading, his retirement cannot be completely ignored.
Having a manager with only one year left on his contract can also impact the free agent market. Players may be a little more hesitant to sign with a team whose manager could be gone within a year. It could also impact the Brewers’ ability to sign their own players to extensions. Although circumstances change between years, a contract still provides some assurance that management will remain as it is for at least a few more years.
However, there is still plenty of time to change this before the season. Every day we could hear the news that the Brewers have signed Murphy to an extension. If something happens before the season, that’s one less thing to worry about in 2026. On the other hand, if Murphy enters the season with only this final season left, that will be an added worry for many fans throughout the season.
Hopefully, Murphy will be with the Brewers for several more years. However, after what happened with Counsell, there is a fear that we could be heading towards a similar situation with Murphy.
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