As the New York Mets’ disappointing season winds down, another page in Mets history prepares to be turned: David Stearns Watch. Stearns, the former Brewers head executive, Queens native, and the current hottest free agent in the executive market, is said to be talking with other MLB teams and is open for sale.
David Stearns, Photo by Roy Dabner)
The Missing Puzzle Piece
Included in the ever-vague “other teams” are the New York Mets, who are seen by some in the industry to be the “ideal fit” for Stearns, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. Stearns, now 38, would be the largest executive signing since Theo Epstein joined the Cubs before the 2012 season. Mind you, that Epstein’s reign in Chicago ended in a 108-year overdue title for the Cubs.
Sammon also mentions that “friends of Stearns say he is ‘re-energized’ and ready to return to a leadership position with a major-league club.” Along with Will Sammon and The Athletic, Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned that the Mets and Stearns are “down the road” in talks to bring Stearns to Quens.
Arguably the worst-kept secret in baseball is that the Mets are yearning to hire a President of Baseball Operations. It was reported by multiple outlets after Cohen purchased the team that the Mets’ new owner desired a president of baseball operations. Initially, Cohen’s lead brain trust was team president Sandy Alderson, general manager Jared Porter, and assistant general manager Zack Scott. For several reasons, that brain trust didn’t last. Two firings and two acting general managers later, the Mets opened up a large, and mostly failing, search for a new general manager. The search netted them Billy Eppler, who is now wrapping up his second season as general manager.
Eppler’s two season, one ending in 100+ wins and another challenging for 90+ losses, has led to a mixed bag of reviews on the executive. As Eppler’s second season winds down, one thing is becoming more and more clear: Steve Cohen wants David Stearns in Queens. Further than that, Steve Cohen wants David Stearns to become the president of baseball operations for the New York Mets.
Stearns is still regarded as one of the best executives in baseball despite spending this last year mostly on the sidelines. Stearns was still contracted by the Brewers but reduced his role to just an advisor in his final year. However, with his contract set to be up in a few weeks, he is now allowed “to start talking to other clubs about a front-office position after the Aug. 1 trade deadline, according to multiple industry sources,” according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Previous Work Experience
Stearns grew up in Queens, New York (yes, really) before moving on to receive a political science degree from Harvard. Before graduating from Harvard, he interned with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his first job in a Major League organization. Immediately after graduation, Stearns began a role with the New York Mets in their baseball operations department under Omar Minaya.
After his quick stint with the Mets, Stearns worked with the Arizona Fall League and the MLB Central offices before becoming co-director of baseball operations for the Cleveland Guardians alongside Derek Falvey, who is currently the Twins President of Baseball Operations. In late 2012, Stearns would move on to the Astros, where he would become second in command to just Jeff Luhnow. His role in Houston would last just under three years, and he would then move on to the Brewers at the end of the 2015 season.
Roster Résumé
Stearns’ résumé with the Brewers largely speaks for itself: Stearns took over the Brewers at the backend of a lost 2015 season, replacing Doug Melvin. In seven full seasons under Stearns (2016-2022), the Brewers finished under .500 twice (one being the 60-game 2020 season), made the playoffs four times versus missing the grand dance thrice, came within a game of a National League pennant, and developed some of the better players in baseball.
Under Stearns, the Brewers brought in Christian Yelich in a lopsided deal with the Marlins, and Yelich went on to win MVP in his first season for the Brew Crew. The Brewers also developed some of the best pitchers in baseball under Stearns’ watch, including the likes of homegrown players Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams, Brandon Woodruff, and others who were brought in while still prospects such as Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, and Lewis Brinson, who ended up being a key piece in the move for Yelich.
Speaking of the move for Yelich, Stearns’ time in Milwaukee contained a ton of moves that were incredibly strong in the process despite the results. Beyond the move for Yelich, Stearns has made some other headline-grabbing moves. In a year when the Brewers were still competitive, Stearns traded Hader to the Padres at the trading deadline. Hader, who had posted a 4.20 ERA to that point, ended up putting up a 7.31 ERA in the final stretch for the Padres. Of note, in return, the Brewers got Esteury Ruiz, who was then moved to the A’s in a 3-team deal that landed the Crew William Contreras, who has a .815 and 120 OPS+ with Milwaukee as of September 6th. Contreras remains under team control until 2028.
Despite moving Hader, the Brewers remain in contention in 2023 and are vying for an NL Central crown. Hader, who has been superb in San Diego, is running full speed towards a contract that might rival Edwin Diaz‘s for the largest contract ever handed out to a closer. Most notably in Mets history, Stearns traded Keon Broxton to the Mets for three prospects: Adam Hill, Felix Valerio (who remains a prospect for the Brewers), and Bobby Wahl. Stearns received two solid prospects and a depth 40-man reliever from the Mets for a 5th outfielder who was cut just months into his Mets tenure.
Whatever happened to Adam Hill, you ask? Well, Hill was moved from the Brewers to the Mariners for Omar Narváez, who went on to be an all-star for the Brewers. Hill never reached the Major Leagues for the Mariners and has since been released by the organization. Going a little further back to the Christian Yelich trade, the aforementioned key piece for the Marlins, Brinson, was originally acquired by the Brewers in return for Jonathan Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress at the 2016 trading deadline. Lucroy had success with Texas in the second half of 2016 but struggled mightily in 2017. Jeffress had much of the same story and was traded back to the Brewers the following deadline.
On the free agent market, Stearns has made his fair share of savvy moves, too. Before the 2017 season, Stearns signed Eric Thames, who had not appeared in an MLB game since 2012. Thames proceeded to put up a .877 OPS in his first year in Milwaukee and hit 72 homers as a Brewer. Stearns’s ability to hit the free agent market will only grow if he heads back home to Queens, and he will finally have the chance to dabble in the gourmet section of the open market.
Respected Co-Worker
Needless to say, one of the strengths of David Stearns is talent evaluation in modern baseball. What does this mean? Stearns and his highly analytical front office excel at identifying talent, maximizing talent, and maximizing the return on the talent they identify as not fit for their system or not having as large of a future role in the Major Leagues as some may believe. For Brinson, the Brewers gave up two aging secondary pieces for Lewis Brinson, who they flipped into Yelich, who won an MVP for the Crew. Stearns would likely lead an analytically forward front office that places an emphasis on numbers and data, a model that took the small-market Brewers to the doorstep of an NL Pennant against the analytical and financial power of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His résumé more than carries its own weight, by why not take his successors’ word for it? In a recent interview with Joel Sherman for the New York Post, Matt Arnold, the Brewers’ general manager who replaced Stearns, and served as an assistant general manager under Stearns prior, said that he loves “David a ton. I respect everything that he has accomplished here and just as a friend, he is one of the best people you could ever meet either in or outside baseball.”
Regarding any potential move to the Mets and what that might entail, Arnold said that he knows that Stearns “Is going to be successful wherever he decides to go. If that is with the Mets, I’m sure he will have a great level of success there. Honestly, if he chooses to do anything in or out of baseball he is going to do very well.”
Arnold continued that Stearns “Is somebody you want to work with and you want to work for. He’s somebody who every day challenges the way you think in productive ways. He’s going to make any situation better wherever he ends up.” He added “He has this great feel for people and understanding and relates to a lot of people in a lot of different ways. And then he’s one of the smartest guys in the room at all times.” A ringing endorsement from Arnold, whose comments could contain the connotation that Stearns is indeed departing the Brewers organization for a new, higher-ranking position in a different organization.
Stearns perfectly fits the mold that the Mets have longed for: young, analytically driven, and with a track record of success. If Stearns was able to bring the Brewers and all their small-market happenings to the cusp of the World Series, can you imagine what he would be able to do with a financial powerhouse like the Mets?
