Timeline for when Mets could hire Craig Counsell revealed

Jon Heyman of the New York Post previously revealed that manager Craig Counsell, most recently with the Milwaukee Brewers, traveled to the Big Apple on Thursday to interview with the New York Mets. 

That won't be Counsell's first in-depth discussion with the Amazins this fall. 

"According to two league sources, Counsell has had one long telephone chat with the Mets," MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY reported on Thursday. "Some sources classified that as an interview, others classified it as a conversation."

Counsell worked under Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns when Stearns held that position in Milwaukee and "is open to the idea of coming to New York," per Martino. Heyman wrote that "the Mets would be expected to be the highest bidder for Counsell" after Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported earlier this week that the 53-year-old "has no intention of taking a hometown discount solely for the purpose of staying with the Brewers." 

Counsell lives in Wisconsin during MLB offseasons and presumably could give the Brewers a chance to match any offer made to him by big-spending Mets owner Steve Cohen. 

Additionally, Martino reported that league sources told him that "the Mets are down to a few in-person manager interviews and are on track to make a hire within a week." Martino also said that New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza "is a serious candidate" for the Mets, but it's widely assumed Counsell is Stearns' first choice. 

Counsell earned the most wins as a manager in Brewers franchise history, took the team to the playoffs five times in the past six years and should reset the market regarding what managers are paid. He's also been linked with the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros, along with a return to Milwaukee, but Heyman mentioned that Counsell and his wife "love New York." 

Interestingly, Heyman added that "a surprise team, perhaps even one with no current opening" could potentially swoop in for Counsell if he doesn't put pen to paper on a contract with the Mets following Thursday's developments. In short, Stearns and Cohen may not want to let Counsell leave the building without an agreement unless they're OK with possibly having to go in a different direction.