This former player will eventually manage the Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers officially announced Pat Murphy as the team’s new manager.

He replaces Craig Counsell who shockingly left the club to manage the rival Chicago Cubs.

Murphy signed a three-year deal but if things go south quickly, it would not be a shock to see the Crew fire him so new associate manager Rickie Weeks can be promoted to the job.

That’s right, former second baseman Rickie Weeks was also added to the coaching staff. Instead of being given the title of bench coach, he is being given a fancy title that signals he is the coach-in-waiting.

Promoting Murphy in hopes of grooming Weeks to take over someday is not a bad idea or an indictment on Murphy.

He was originally brought to the club to serve as a mentor for Counsell since Craig had no prior managing experience and Murphy was his former college coach.

Murphy is a decorated college coach and had a brief stint as the interim manager of the San Diego Padres.

Lifting Murphy to the top spot will also provide stability to a club coming off winning a division title.

It also gives the impression that the Milwaukee Brewers are considering being competitive again in 2024. Whereas, just giving the job to Weeks would probably indicate the club is ready for a reset.

Weeks has been working in the player development department since 2021. He is highly respected in the organization. It would make sense to let him learn on the job if the club punted on the 2024 season.

Going with Murphy allows the Crew a chance to see if he can lead the Brewers back to October, as Murphy has been credited with being a good baseball strategist.

However, the Crew may choose to still trade Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames since this is their last year of club control. Burnes could bring back a nice return of prospects or players who will not hit free agency after the season.

No matter what direction the team decides to go, Murphy is probably not going to manage the Milwaukee Brewers for the next decade with the title given to Weeks. He is being groomed for the job, and once the club’s leadership feels he is ready to take over, Murphy will probably be given a new title like manager-emeritus.