Will Craig Counsell's departure lead to a full rebuild for the Milwaukee Brewers?

Counsell’s decision came just before the annual general manager meetings in Phoenix, Arizona. The meetings were cut short due to a virus going around and infecting more than 10% of those in attendance. However, there was enough going on and enough said for MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic to learn a bit about the Brewers’ strategy going into the meetings.

And it’s not going to be something Brewers fans are thrilled with.

The Milwaukee Brewers Are Open to Trade Anybody on Their Roster

Rosenthal spoke to unnamed sources who would not comment publicly, but did have a great deal to say about the Brewers’ offseason approach:

“Those sources, briefed on the Brewers’ discussions but not authorized to discuss them publicly, say the team is open to moving virtually any player on its roster.

“Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has said in the past he opposes a complete rebuild. But at this point, does the team have much choice? Burnes and Woodruff are goners. Williams almost certainly will be after 2025, and the Brewers traded their previous closer, Josh Hader, when he was under club control for one-plus seasons. If they followed the same time frame with Williams, they would trade him at this year’s deadline.

“The breakup of this team is inevitable. It’s just a matter of how proactive the Brewers want to be in moving the process along.”

This is certainly against everything Attanasio and the front office have preached since opening the Brewers’ competitive window. They have always been adamant about wanting a “bite of the apple,” though it sounds like they are heading for a rebuild instead.

It is worth noting that Rosenthal suggests the Brewers may look to give Woodruff a two-year extension, buying out his final year of arbitration and giving him a “prove it” year once his shoulder is healed. However, if a different team may be willing to do the same thing, Milwaukee may trade him to recover value.

Will the Brewers Really Trade Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames Because Craig Counsell Left?

Given the fact that the Brewers won the NL Central this year for the third time in five seasons, there were some who believed that, had Counsell re-signed with Milwaukee, the team would go “all-in” and try to win a World Series without trading Burnes and Adames, who will be free agents after the 2024 season.

With Counsell gone, do the Brewers think that they would be better off rebuilding with a new manager? Rosenthal seems to think so, and it may make more sense for the future of the small-market Brewers to get as many prospects and young players as possible in return for those two stars.

It certainly is disappointing to face the prospect of a rebuild after years of competitive baseball, especially after fans waited decades for a competitive baseball team in Milwaukee.

But it seems to be the reality they are facing.