Will Craig Counsell reject Mets for return to Brewers?

Craig Counsell may not give the Milwaukee Brewers a hometown discount to return to the club he's managed since the 2015 season, but that doesn't mean he already has his bags packed to join the New York Mets as soon as this weekend. 

For a piece updated early Friday morning, Curt Hogg and Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that "multiple sources" say that "if the Brewers match the top offer – which is most likely to come from the Mets and would set a new bar for manager salaries across the league – they will almost certainly retain" Counsell. 

MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY added later in the day that "the hope/expectation of those involved" is that Counsell will choose a sweepstakes winner "over the next several days." 

Counsell interviewed in-person with the Mets on Thursday after the two sides had what Martino called "a long phone conversation." 

It's widely thought the Amazins are the favorites to land the 53-year-old because big-spending team owner Steve Cohen theoretically can outbid everybody else for the skipper, and also because Counsell previously worked under Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns when Stearns held that job with Milwaukee. 

Counsell interviewed with the Cleveland Guardians earlier this week, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that "New York and Cleveland...are the most likely destinations" for Counsell if he doesn't return to the Brewers. 

Counsell possesses the Brewers' all-time record for most wins earned as a manager, guided the club to the playoffs five times in the past six years and currently lives in Wisconsin during offseasons. It's been reported that Counsell and his wife "love New York," and the fact he traveled to interview with the Mets seemingly shows he's willing to relocate if the Brewers don't match Cohen's top offer. 

Hogg and Rosiak said that Counsell specifically is expected to make a decision "by the time baseball's general manager meetings, which run Nov. 7-9 in Scottsdale, Ariz., wrap up." That suggests the Mets will record either a big victory or a significant loss before Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani picks his free-agency destination.