Pat Murphy can save baseball and further cement himself as an Arizona legend

This is a column about the future of baseball, and it will begin from left field with a random observation:

Bruce Arians and Pat Murphy are Arizona legends.

Arians received his first full-time head coaching job at the age of 60 and promptly turned the Cardinals into Super Bowl contenders. He had two unofficial mantras: “No Risk It, No Biscuit” and “Win or Lose We Booze.” He remains the gold standard of Cardinals head coaches, a man whose personality, style and immense popularity gave him much-needed power and leverage within the organization. That’s how he made a difference.

Murphy was the controversial and combative manager who built a powerhouse at Arizona State; was beloved by most of his players; and was hit with NCAA sanctions. He became full-time manager of the Brewers at age 65 and promptly posted consecutive National League Manager of the Year Awards.

And now he holds the future of the sport in his hands.

Consider:

If the Brewers eliminate the Dodgers on their way to a National League pennant, Murphy will detonate the argument for a hard salary cap in Major League Baseball. After all, you cannot imperil the renaissance and the future of an entire sport on a flawed argument. And if the Brewers reach the World Series, you cannot convince America that baseball needs to shut down the sport so small-market teams like Milwaukee can reach the World Series.

It was not a coincidence that MLB seized the initiative on Thursday, the day after the Brewers eliminated the Padres and punched a ticket to the NLCS. MLB proposed cutting the regular season to 154 games; expanding the NLDS and ALDS to seven games (a change that is badly needed); and allowing higher seeds in the postseason to pick their opponents.

The initiatives are very popular with most baseball fans. We all know the regular season is way too long, especially when the system spits out playoff teams in blink of an eye, eliminating them in the span of 2-3 days. The current playoff format feels dangerously thin, patently unfair and instantly forgettable.

A Murphy triumph could also safeguard the Arizona economy.

A study conducted by Arizona State University revealed the 2026 Cactus League produced $495.8 million for Arizona’s Gross Domestic Product in 2026, along with $806.9 million in total economic activity. Both numbers represent the highest economic impact since they began tracking data over two decades ago.

The economic impact of a prolonged lockout/work stoppage is far different in Arizona than in most states. That’s especially true since the Cactus League revenue is not generated by a single corporation, rather distributed among 15 MLB teams across 10 Valley stadiums.

Essentially, we are business partners with MLB and the MLBPA. And you would hope that good-faith negotiations can begin with a sense of urgency right now, that the Cactus League and Grapefruit League in Florida will not become sacrificial pawns in a larger economic battle. We deserve respect and consideration for what the state of Arizona contributes to Major League Baseball.

And who better to defeat the Dodgers and save the sport than a guy like Murph?

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

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