Pat Murphy’s path to Milwaukee almost took a very different turn.
Before he was elevated from bench coach to Brewers manager in November 2023, Murphy had been in the mix for the Mets’ 2019 managerial opening, the one that ultimately went to Carlos Beltran. According to Murphy and then-Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, who is now Murphy’s agent, Van Wagenen pushed for Murphy as the choice and brought that recommendation to former COO Jeff Wilpon, as he told the New York Post’s Joel Sherman.
That hire never happened. Less than three months after Beltran was brought aboard, he stepped down in January 2020 amid the fallout from the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
Murphy said the Mets contacted him again after that, and he remained interested in the job, but New York went another direction and promoted quality control coach Luis Rojas from within. Van Wagenen said the club chose continuity, with Rojas already familiar to the organization and Spring Training looming.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, has benefited from Murphy staying where he was. The Brewers are now three wins from a World Series title with him managing the club.
There’s no way to know how Murphy would have fared in New York, but his success in Milwaukee only adds to the Mets’ recent instability in the dugout. Including Beltran, they’ve cycled through seven managers in the last decade, with interim-turned-permanent manager Andy Green now carrying the hope of bringing some stability.
The Marlins could face a very different kind of pressure if the next collective bargaining agreement includes a salary floor. MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker shows Miami with only around $81.8MM committed for 2027, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports the club would likely try to bridge any required spending through contract extensions and by targeting players in the $10MM-$15MM-per-year range. Big-ticket free agents, though, still wouldn’t fit the Marlins’ philosophy; as Jackson put it, “the front office is philosophically opposed to” those kinds of deals.
Jackson also reported that Marlins prospect Brandon Compton is being asked to keep working at first base this offseason. The second-round pick in the 2025 draft has mostly played the outfield across his first two pro seasons, though he did appear at first in six games this year.
MLB Pipeline has him 13th in Miami’s system and projected a move to first because of concerns about his range and throwing arm in left field. The defense is still a question, but the bat has been loud: Compton hit .270/.411/.576 with 36 homers in 566 combined plate appearances across three minor league levels, including 67 plate appearances with Triple-A Jacksonville.
He could make his MLB debut sometime in 2027 and may eventually factor into Miami’s unsettled first base picture.
Aidan Miller is another prospect who could soon be in the middle of the infield conversation, potentially as early as Opening Day. The Phillies may be more inclined to ease him in, though, after back problems wiped out almost all of his 2026 season.
Miller did get into eight late-season minor league games and has followed that with eight games in the Arizona Fall League, where he has produced strong numbers at the plate. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com noted that Miller has played only third base in the AFL for logistical reasons, since his late roster addition came after the Phillies had already lined up shortstops.
Philadelphia’s immediate focus is getting him back to full game strength, but once he’s ready, he could slide into what is expected to be an opening at third base if Alec Bohm isn’t re-signed, or at shortstop if Trea Turner’s defense doesn’t improve.
In Other News...
Jacob Misiorowski Just Gave Brewers Fans A New Reason To Believe
Jacob Misiorowski has already given Milwaukee plenty of reasons to dream, and his latest spotlight moment only sharpened the anticipation. The hard-throwing starter came into Game 1 after a season in which he posted a 1.80 ERA over 30 starts and routinely lit up radar guns, averaging 100.6 mph on his four-seam fastball.
The performance against Tampa Bay took that power to another level, even by postseason standards. Misiorowskis velocity put him in a class all his own on baseballs biggest stage, and it only added to the sense that the Brewers may have something special in their rotation as the pressure rises. The only real question now is how far that arm can carry them when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Ace Just Gave The World Series A Historic Start
Jacob Misiorowski wasted no time making his presence felt on the biggest stage, opening the World Series with the kind of velocity that has become his calling card for Milwaukee. The Brewers ace has turned into one of the most electric arms in baseball this season, pairing a 1.80 ERA with 252 strikeouts and taking the ball in Game 1 of the NLDS, NLCS and World Series along the way.
The moment was historic even by his standards, though it also fit the larger pattern of what he has been doing since the regular season. Misiorowski had already grabbed attention earlier this year when he topped the league's starter velocity mark, and now the Brewers are watching that same raw power play out on the sport's biggest October stage. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Got An Unexpected Call Brewers Fans Will Love
Pat Murphy has spent enough time around baseball to keep his focus on the next game, but this one landed differently. The Brewers coach has long been a Bruce Springsteen fan, and after Milwaukee clinched its NLCS victory, he got an unexpected FaceTime call from the man whose music has been part of his life for years. For Murphy, it was the kind of personal moment that goes beyond a clubhouse celebration and into something a little more memorable.
Springsteen had been watching the Brewers and wanted to connect with Murphy, which made the exchange even more meaningful. Murphy described the conversation as easy, and he spoke about the impact Springsteens music has had on him and his teams over the years. It was a reminder that the Brewers postseason run has started to reach beyond the field, in ways that can surprise even the people closest to it. [Read more 🡒]