Why Counsell is 'content' about his contract status

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Craig Counsell is the first Brewers manager in recent memory to go into Spring Training as a lame duck, but neither he nor general manager Matt Arnold sounds particularly bothered by that.

Counsell, 52, is entering the final season of the three-year extension he inked in January 2020. He was already the National League’s longest-tenured manager at that time and the only Brewers skipper to manage the team in multiple postseasons. Now he’s also the winningest manager in Brewers history, having passed Phil Garner last June. And on Opening Day in Chicago, Counsell will become the only man to manage the Brewers for nine seasons.

“I'm content with where we're at,” Counsell said Thursday morning as Brewers pitchers and catchers took the field for the team’s first organized workout. “We'll see what happens moving forward. I have had conversations with [Milwaukee principal owner] Mark [Attanasio] about this. Mark and I have worked together for a long time. You know, I value that relationship a lot. And I'm good.”

Counsell has deep roots in Milwaukee. He was raised in the area and spent countless days at County Stadium while his father worked in the Brewers’ community relations department, then played for the Brewers after winning the World Series with the Marlins and D-backs. After retiring in 2011, Counsell worked in Milwaukee's front office for parts of four seasons before getting back into uniform as field manager following Ron Roenicke’s dismissal in May 2015.

Arnold, Counsell’s good friend and neighbor in Whitefish Bay, Wis., said the door is open to contract talks. But he indicated he doesn’t anticipate any news on this front until later this season or afterward.

“It’s definitely on our agenda,” Arnold said. “It’s also a partnership, right? We’ve worked together for eight years. I respect his opportunity to let this play out on his [terms]. We want to be respectful of where Craig is in his career. We have a wonderful relationship with Craig. We hope he’s here a long time but also respect the idea that his kids are a certain age where he might want to spend time with them. I respect that, too.”

Craig and Michelle Counsell’s four children include a pair of baseball-playing sons. Brady is a sophomore at Minnesota, and Jack graduates high school this spring and is committed to Michigan. Counsell’s managerial duties mean that if he gets to watch his sons play, it’s usually via video.

“I’m open to everything, and I want to continue to be open to everything,” Counsell said. “This is the best way to do that.”