It’s open season for the Mets on a high-profile potential managerial candidate.
Craig Counsell became a free agent Wednesday night with the Brewers’ 5-2 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NL wild-card series.
The Brewers were swept in the best-of-three series after winning the NL Central title.
Counsell, 53, is unsigned beyond this season after breaking off negotiations last month with the Brewers on a new contract.
He was the manager during David Stearns’ entire tenure leading Milwaukee’s front office.
Stearns this week was introduced as the Mets’ new president of baseball operations.
The Mets fired Buck Showalter last weekend while Stearns was still under contract with the Brewers as a consultant.
Showalter’s dismissal allows Stearns to pick his own manager as he begins a five-year contract with the club worth approximately $50 million.
During his introductory press conference, Stearns indicated he plans to conduct a full managerial search.
He acknowledged that the process might stretch until after the World Series, given potential candidates could be participating in the postseason.
But Counsell’s playoff stay was brief, and he’s now allowed to speak with the Mets if Stearns is interested.
There had been earlier thought that Counsell might want to sit out a season to spend time with family, but his recent public comments have indicated he will be listening to offers to manage.
It’s expected the Brewers will push hard to re-sign Counsell, whose managerial tenure with the team started in 2015.
The Giants, Angels and Guardians also have managerial vacancies.
“[Counsell] is thoughtful,” Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said at a press conference before the start of the wild-card series. “He is loyal. He is a flat-out winner and has been a rich part of our baseball history. … He really has an impact everywhere he’s been. He certainly has had a big impact here.”
The Brewers reached the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, which included advancing to the NLCS in 2018.
Counsell won a World Series as a player with the Marlins and Diamondbacks.
He finished his playing career with five seasons in a Brewers uniform.
“He thought he might want to be a general manager someday, which is certainly within his skill set,” Attanasio said. “A lot of folks have asked me, ‘What is going to happen with Craig? Is he going to work for another team? Is he going to come back? Is he going to go watch his two kids play college baseball?’ He could be a general manager.”
Stearns was elevated to general manager with the Brewers before the 2016 season and has known no other manager while leading a front office.
Stearns indicated Monday that he wants a manager who will be an extension of the front office.
But prior MLB managing experience isn’t a requirement, according to Stearns, and that could lead the Mets in a variety of directions if the team doesn’t hire Counsell.
One potential candidate was removed from the board Wednesday when the Padres announced Bob Melvin will return next season.
Potential candidates beyond Counsell include Joe Maddon, Walt Weiss, Ron Washington, Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy, Angels bench coach Ray Montgomery and Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, among others.
The Mets could also wait to see if Dusty Baker becomes available whenever the Astros’ season concludes.