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Update: FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports Craig Counsell will be the new Brewers manager.
At 7-18, the Brewers may be ready to rebuild, and a move late on Sunday may suggest more of the same. Milwaukee announced in a press release Manager Ron Roenicke has been relieved of his duties and his replacement will be named during a press conference at 10:30 AM on Monday.
Craig Counsell is a possible replacement, according to MLB Daily Dish's Chris Cotillo, and Milwaukee 620 sports anchor Greg Matzek was told a multi-year deal is in place for the new manager.
In the release, Brewers General Manager and President of Baseball Operations Doug Melvin cited "a difficult start to the season, something that we certainly didn't anticipate," as the primary reason for dismissing Roenicke. The timing of the move is notable since the Brewers have won consecutive games for the first time in 2015.
Breaking Brewers
Breaking Brewers
Although Roenicke admitted he did not know where he stood after a second half collapse and an 82-80 finish last season, Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted in March the organization was committed to Roenicke. The Brewers exercised his option for 2016, but a slow start may have changed the organization's perspective.
Milwaukee has struggled to open the 2015 campaign and the Brewers' decision to dismiss Roenicke comes after a handful of weekend rumors regarding several of the club's starters. ESPN's Buster Olney noted Milwaukee may be open to selling a handful of major league pieces, and that Matt Garaz, Kyle Lohse, and Aramis Ramirez may be among the first veteran options to be dealt. The club could be hesitant to trade Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Gomez, however Gerardo Parra and Francisco Rodriguez may also be traded to contending teams seeking depth.
The Brewers' rough start has placed them 11.5 games behind the division-leading Cardinals in the National League Central. Milwaukee is only scoring 3.28 runs per game, and its pitching staff has had difficulty, allowing an average 4.92 runs per game.
In four seasons under Roenicke's leadership, the Brewers finished with a 342-331 regular season record.