Brewers, manager Pat Murphy agree on new multi-year contract

PHOENIX – It took a little time, but the Milwaukee Brewers have finally locked down their man.

The team announced Friday morning, Feb. 20 that it had signed manager Pat Murphy to a multi-year contract extension.

According to an initial report from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Murphy’s deal runs for three years and contains a club option for 2029.

According to Rosenthal, the agreement is not an extension but rather a new contract that re-works the final year of his 2026 deal and then adds two more years.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Murphy’s deal includes $8.95 million in new money and makes him one of the highest-paid managers in the major leagues.

“Pat Murphy has been an incredible partner and leader here for over a decade,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said in a statement released by the team Friday. “I’m thrilled that we have been able to come up with a framework that keeps Murph with the Brewers for years to come and maintains the special relationship that we have established.

“I look forward to continuing the pursuit of a World Series championship with Murph and his staff.”

Murphy, 67, enters the 2026 season as the two-time defending National League manager of the year after having led Milwaukee to a major-league-best record of 97-65, a third straight National League Central title, an NL Division Series victory over the Chicago Cubs and the club’s first appearance in the NL Championship Series since 2018.

He’s also earned a large fan following thanks to the 190-134 (.586 winning percentage) record he’s compiled with Milwaukee as well as his unique personality.

Murphy is 232-188 overall as a manager; he finished out the 2015 season with the San Diego Padres on an interim basis.

It’s the second three-year deal for Murphy and the Brewers. He signed his initial pact on Nov. 15, 2023, nine days after Craig Counsell departed Milwaukee for a five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs believed to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million.

Brewers team principal owner Mark Attanasio was asked about the status of contract talks with Murphy on Tuesday, Feb. 17 but he spoke only in generalities.

“Everybody loves Murph, there’s no doubt,” Attanasio said. “But we don’t talk about contracts. We do talk about stability. We’ve had a huge amount of stability here, and that’s the goal.”

Murphy was also asked by the Journal Sentinel prior to the start of camp where he stood in terms of a new deal. Typically, teams try to avoid having managers viewed as “lame ducks,” or working the final year of their contract without another in place.

“This isn’t about me,” Murphy said. “I’ve got a locker. I called in yesterday and I asked if I’ve got a locker, and I’ve got a locker. So, as long as I’ve got a locker and my ‘slippy gerries’ [his favored adidas sneakers he jokingly refers to as slip-ons for geriatrics] have a place to sit, that’s all that matters.

“Today, I have a locker. When you’ve got the pink slip at the top of your locker, that’s when you’ve got to make alternate plans.

“Right now, I’m not making any other plans.”

Murphy and the Brewers have one more day of prep work scheduled at American Family Fields of Phoenix before they open Cactus League play by hosting the Cleveland Guardians at 2:10 p.m. Central time Saturday, Feb. 21.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers, manager Pat Murphy agree on new multi-year contract

Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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