The Brewers just lost their manager, Craig Counsell, to their National League Central rivals in a surprising turn of events. Counsell was one of the most successful managers in MLB history, so finding a replacement for him isn’t going to be an easy feat. But a recent source says that the Brewers have already found a list of very able candidates, and a former Yankees legend is at the top of their list.

Regarded as the greatest Yankee to ever appear in a World Series championship by MLB.com, the mystery skipper has been coaching the only non-American team in MLB for the last season. The six-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove awardee has been on the baseball scene for the last four decades. Can you guess who he is?

Brewers’ brewing race of skippers

Don Mattingly joined the Yankees in 1982 and has remained the only Yankee whose jersey has been retired without a World Series win. Sadly, his exit from the diamond as a player had nothing to do with his form—he had to leave because of an irreversible injury.

And now, after leading the rest of his career as a manager and a coach to teams like the Dodgers and Marlins, he’s all set to take the next step toward his unforgettable legacy. The Brewers were holding on to their last shred of hope to retain Counsell as manager.

Counsell was very clear from the beginning that he wasn’t interested in renewing his contract after this season. And after many speculations, they had to let him go to their NL rival, the Chicago Cubs. Mattingly isn’t the only one on their list of prospective skippers, as of now. According to the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, there are other big names like the Astros’ Joe Espada and Dodgers’ Clayton McCullough, amongst the rest.

Espada has been in the coaching scene since 2010, except for the 2014 season, when he was hired as a special assistant by Yankees’ manager Brian Cashman. McCullough became a coach ten years after Espada. Mattingly has been acting as a coach since 2004 and as a manager since 2011. However, having years of experience as a triple-hit player, manager, and coach isn’t the only reason he sits at the top of the Brewers’ list.

The Don Mattingly Madness

One of Mattingly’s many talents includes being ambidextrous; the slugger could make as good a pitch with his left hand as he did with his right. So, there’s no doubt that he will have a great idea while making pitching draft decisions for the Brewers. They have an infamous history of struggling with lefty pitchers. Other than that, Mattingly’s projected salary is $2 million a year, which is comparatively much lower than the Brewers’ $3.5 million salary for Counsell.

Read More: Who Is the Highest-Paid MLB Manager? How Much Will Craig Counsell Be Earning as Chicago Cubs Skipper?

Regardless of which team Mattingly chooses to go with, they will be lucky to have him. But the Brewers could use a win or two after living the longest World Series drought in the history of MLB. Let’s see if that changes this season or not!

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