I don't remember if this was posted elsewhere, and it's from Bob Nightengale (I don't know if he's a great source or not), but:
"What’s going on is the sabermetric boys are taking away from our salaries," one manager said, "because they think they can manage."
While MLB had a record $10.8 billion in revenue this past season, manager salaries have plummeted by 50%, according to agents who represent managers.
"I can not think of an industry in this country," said one veteran agent, "where their CEO, CFO, president or whatever has their salary go down by 50%."
There are only six managers in the game who are scheduled to earn at least $3 million in 2024, led by Padres manager Bob Melvin’s $4 million salaries, according to USA TODAY’s research: Bochy, Melvin, Buck Showalter (fired), Dave Martinez, Roberts and Alex Cora.
Managers are losing leverage every year. If they ask for a nice raise, and the teams resist, they’ll threaten to find someone else who’ll take the job. If a rookie manager is hired, they’re supposed to be grateful just to have a job, even if they’re earning less than the major-league player minimum of $800,000.
"These young managers will accept almost anything," one manager said, "just to get on the pension program."
It leaves Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell with the responsibility of raising managerial salaries once he signs a new contract.
Counsell, who’s the hottest managerial free agent when his contract expires Oct. 31, earned $3.5 million last season with the Brewers.
He knows he was severely undervalued, and would like to be paid accordingly, if not with the Brewers, somewhere else.
He should get a bump in pay to at least $5 million a year, if not at least $6 million. If the Brewers don’t want to pay it, there’s a certain team in Queens, N.Y., that will.
Counsell definitely wants to keep managing, and most likely will stay put in Milwaukee with the New York hype being overblown, but friends say it is important to him to help reverse the course of managerial salaries.
The bolded parts I found interesting.
"It's an illusion, Michael. A trick is something a whore does for money."