Mets will have to wait few weeks to talk with Craig Counsell

If the Mets want to talk with Craig Counsell, they might have to wait a few weeks.

Though the Brewers’ season ended with a loss in the wild-card round to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, their manager’s contract does not expire until Oct. 31, sources said.

There has been some confusion about what is allowed for a manager whose season is over but whose contract is still active, and the parties appear to be acting as if the Mets — or any other interested team — would require permission from the Brewers to talk early with Counsell.

There had not yet been any known, official contact as of early Friday night between David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, and the only manager he worked alongside with the Brewers.

The Brewers already have blocked the Mets once in the past, denying permission for Stearns — then the Milwaukee president of baseball operations — to interview with the Mets in October 2021.

It is difficult to imagine Brewers owner Mark Attanasio helping the Mets if they try to pry away his manager. Attanasio is known as a staunch advocate of small-market teams and would not seem inclined to offer an olive branch toward big-market behemoth Steve Cohen.

There are risks involved if the Mets envision waiting for Counsell’s contract to officially expire. There are other clubs conducting manager searches that could pursue candidates the Mets like. What if the Mets wait for Counsell, and he opts against leaving Milwaukee?

The Brewers declined comment this week regarding Counsell’s contract. Counsell, asked about a timeline for his future by Milwaukee reporters Wednesday night after the playoff elimination, said, “That ain’t for tonight.”

Stearns has stated he will cast “a wide net” in his search for a manager and is open to virtually anyone, with past experience or without. He wants someone who will grow with him and stick around a long while within a Mets organization that is accustomed to change. Buck Showalter was their fourth straight manager (including Carlos Beltran, who did not manage a game) who did not last a third season.

Stearns has said he wants the search to be thorough, and it is possible he interviews many other candidates before he is allowed to reach out to Counsell.

Of course, there is also the reality that Stearns led Milwaukee’s baseball operations from 2016-22, when he worked well alongside Counsell. Stearns might not need a formal interview to know a lot about Counsell and the type of manager he is. For Counsell’s part, he likely would want to familiarize himself with the Mets organization before he makes a decision.

If Counsell becomes the leading candidate, the Mets would have to lure him away from what has been his home.

Counsell went to high school in Milwaukee; played six of his 16 big-league seasons with the Brewers; and has daughters who go to high school near their Whitefish Bay, Wis., home and sons who play Big Ten baseball at the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota.

This week, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio reiterated he wants Counsell, whom he called “thoughtful” and “loyal,” to return for a 10th season as his manager.

“Craig and I spoke right around Labor Day, and we decided we had a chance to do something special this year, and we were going to just focus on that and pick up the conversation once the season was over,” Attanasio told reporters in Milwaukee before the club’s season ended. “I think that conversation will be open-ended, and we’ll see how he wants to handle it. I think he has earned that right.

“Clearly we want him back, and we’ll see what he wants to do.”

Other clubs could try to poach Counsell, who has maximized many solid but not spectacular clubs. The Guardians, Giants and Angels also have vacancies.

If a bidding war emerges, Cohen’s Mets would be best positioned. Counsell made $3.5 million this season, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported, while Bruce Buchy (with the Rangers) is believed to be the MLB leader at around $5 million-$6 million.

Stearns has never hired a manager and said Monday, “We’re not going to rush this process.”

If he wants Counsell, he likely would not be able to rush anyway.

— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman