Brewers manager Ken Macha says he’s been told he out of a job

Brewers’ Macha says he’s out as manager

MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Ken Macha is out of a job.

“They’re not going to pick up my option,” Macha told The Associated Press on Sunday night.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel cited unidentified sources earlier Sunday in saying Macha would be let go. About an hour after the report, Macha said he spoke with general manager Doug Melvin.

“He said he’s sorry if I heard it on the radio,” Macha said.

Macha said Melvin felt “terrible” about the way the news came out, but Macha said he didn’t ask any questions and will attend a meeting with the general manager on Monday morning.

Macha declined to speak in-depth about the decision until hearing Melvin’s take and will drive home to Pittsburgh immediately after the meeting.

The Brewers held a club option on Macha’s contract for 2011, but it looked more unlikely they would pick it up after two losing seasons. Milwaukee finished 77-85 with a loss on Sunday.

Melvin did not return messages left by The Associated Press. A formal announcement is expected shortly after the meeting.

The 60-year-old Macha, who won two division titles with the Oakland Athletics from 2003-06, spent a large portion of the season dealing with speculation he’d be dismissed before receiving the support of owner Mark Attanasio and Melvin. But the club has failed to live up to expectations following its postseason berth in 2008.

Melvin now must decide whether to hire two potential candidates on Macha’s staff — bench coach Willie Randolph and hitting coach Dale Sveum — or look outside the organization.

While the Brewers reached the postseason for the first time in 26 years in 2008, Macha never had the same pitching staff that carried that club. CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets both left as free agents.

In 2009, Macha’s Brewers came into July with a two-game lead in the NL Central but went 9-16 that month to drop out of contention. This year, Milwaukee started slow, had a miserable May and spent most of the year under .500.

More changes are likely and the Brewers have big issues ahead.

The team’s All-Star core of Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and ace Yovani Gallardo are signed long-term, and the club has often featured a starting lineup with no one older than 28.

But Prince Fielder is heading into his final year under team control and is seeking a big free-agent contract that would stretch the Brewers’ budget for years to come. Second baseman Rickie Weeks also is eligible for free agency after 2011.