Milwaukee Brewers executive David Stearns, who stepped down from his general manager post last October, may be "down the road" in conversations to join the New York Mets front office, according to what multiple big-league sources have The Athletic. Stearns' contract, set to expire at season's end, allowed him to begin speaking with other clubs after the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Stearns is believed to have also talked with the Houston Astros about a job. He served as an assistant GM with the Astros for nearly three years before taking over operations in Milwaukee. He then guided the Brewers over seven years, at one point making the playoffs in four consecutive attempts. The Mets have been connected to Stearns ever since Steven Cohen purchased the franchise back in November 2020.
Stearns, 38, has garnered a reputation for being a shrewd executive capable of building competitive rosters on a strict budget. The Brewers did not rank higher than 17th in Opening Day payroll during Stearns' tenure. Yet he was able to overcome that limitation thanks to a combination of cutting-edge analytics and savvy coaching and development. (It's perhaps of note that Brewers manager Craig Counsell's contract also expires at season's end, though it's unclear what the odds are of him potentially reuniting with Stearns in New York.)
If Stearns does agree to join the Mets, it would presumably be in a president of baseball operations role. Current general manager Billy Eppler would likely stay on under Stearns. Last week, in a potentially unrelated series of moves, the Mets dismissed several members of their front-office staff.
In an interesting coincidence, the Mets and Brewers are scheduled to play one another on Opening Day (March 28, 2024) next season.
