If the Mets want Craig Counsell, they are not alone.
Brewers general manager Matt Arnold made it clear Tuesday that he hopes his club’s manager returns for a 10th season amid expected suitors, including David Stearns and the Mets.
Arnold, speaking in a season-ending news conference, said the Brewers have not placed any timetable on Counsell for a decision.
Arnold said the club is talking with Counsell, though in publicly wishing for Counsell to return, the GM acknowledged the possibility he would not.
“We’re in regular conversation with him,” Arnold told reporters. “I’m excited about having those conversations with him and looking forward to hopefully having some news for you [media] as soon as possible. But either way, we’re going to be prepared to have a manager next year if it’s not Craig.
“But I want to keep every line open for communication here with Craig as much as we can because he’s our top choice.”
Counsell has established himself as one of the top managers in baseball and guided the Brewers to the playoffs in five of the past six years.
This season the Brewers were knocked out by the Diamondbacks in the wild-card round.
His front-office boss for much of his Milwaukee tenure was Stearns, whom the Mets landed as their president of baseball operations and who fired manager Buck Showalter in hope of a “fresh start.”
There has been a widespread belief that Stearns may try to pry Counsell away.
It is unclear whether the Mets have requested permission to talk with Counsell, who sources said is under contract with the Brewers until the end of the month.
“I want to respect Craig — I want to respect the time that he’s put into this franchise and the opportunity that he has in front of him,” Arnold said. “We have a really good relationship, and so I think it’s first and foremost what’s best for him and his family for sure.
“But I’m excited to obviously partner with him. I’ve loved working with him for many years, and I hope he’s here a long time.”
Counsell has been around Milwaukee a long time, having grown up in Wisconsin and having played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Brewers.
His sons play Big Ten baseball at the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota, and his daughters go to school in Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Even his father worked as Brewers director of community relations under Bud Selig.
“He’s maybe one of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” said Arnold, who has worked with Counsell since the 2016 season. “I really, really enjoy working with him. He challenges us in great ways. We see the world differently. I think it’s healthy. I think he means a lot to this community. He’s done a lot. He’s been a player here. His dad worked here. He’s grown up here. He’s special. He’s definitely special to this team.”
If the Brewers can offer the comforts of home, the Mets could offer a new challenge with likely larger expectations and a larger paycheck.
Counsell made $3.5 million this season, The Post’s Jon Heyman has reported, and Steve Cohen could turn Counsell into one of the game’s highest-paid managers for a big-market team whose payrolls will dwarf the Brewers’.
Stearns has said he will cast “a wide net” in finding the Mets’ next manager — which would allow him plenty of time to interview others if he needs to wait a few weeks for Counsell’s contract to expire.
Other teams could loom, too: The Giants, Guardians and Angels also are conducting managerial searches.