David Stearns has long been considered a Mets target, as the Brewers twice rejected requests from Mets owner Steve Cohen to speak with Stearns about New York’s front office vacancies in the last two years. When Stearns stepped down yesterday as Milwaukee’s president of baseball operations, speculation quickly arose about Sterns’ future and whether or not a move to New York could be in the offing, though Cohen has seemingly closed the door on the possibility.
Speaking with SNY’s Andy Martino, Cohen reiterated that general manager Billy Eppler “is in charge” of the Mets front office, and that the club is “focused on other things right now” than a pursuit of Stearns.
Cohen’s statement tracks with other recent reports suggesting that Eppler isn’t in danger of being replaced, as the positives of the Mets’ 101-win regular season look to have outweighed the disappointment of the club’s early playoff exit in the Wild Card Series. The Mets are still looking for a new team president, but were reportedly looking to hire a business-oriented executive for the role, leaving Eppler running baseball operations.
Of course, speculation linking Stearns and the Mets isn’t likely to end until Stearns takes a job with another team, the Mets hire a new president, or perhaps until Eppler is given a president of baseball operations title. (While clubs can use several different titles for their top front office decision-maker, Eppler’s status as “only” a GM does leave some wiggle room for a president of baseball ops to be installed above him.) In fact, Martino feels Cohen will eventually interview Stearns down the road, though Martino also writes that “Mets people have long insisted that the link between Cohen and Stearns has been overstated for the past year.”
For his part, Stearns said that he isn’t joining another team, and that his decision to step away from Milwaukee’s PBO job was based on a desire to step back from the daily grind of running a Major League team. Though he’ll remain as a consultant with the Brewers, Stearns said he is “looking forward to taking a deep breath, spending time with my family and exploring some other interests.”
There is also the practical matter of Stearns’ contract, which runs through the end of the 2023 season. Stearns and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio discussed the situation (with MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters) in somewhat oblique terms at yesterday’s news conference, saying that there was some type of arrangement in place should another team ask to interview Stearns about another job.
Because Stearns is a contracted employee, Attanasio is under no official obligation to allow the Mets or any team to speak with Stearns. As an MLB official tells The Athletic’s Will Sammon, the league would have to approve any attempt on another’s team part to essentially purchase Stearns’ contract for cash. Perhaps not wanting to set precedent, “MLB would likely prefer the two sides strike a trade involving players,” Sammon writes. Trades involving non-player personnel are rare but not entirely uncommon. For instance, the Red Sox received two players (Chris Carpenter and Aaron Kurcz) from the Cubs as compensation for letting Theo Epstein out of the the final year of his contract to become Chicago’s new president of baseball operations, with prospect Jair Bogaerts also dealt from the Cubs to the Sox as part of the swap.
getrealgone2
Carnies gotta carny
put it in the books
You’re dumb so you’re gonna make dumb comments
Baseball Guy 69
Am i the only one thinking there’s something else going on with Stearns? Everything seems so abrupt and i don’t think its just because of the Hader trade. Every exec makes a bad trade or two, in some cases, many.
Big whiffa
It’s a fickle thing deciding when trade trade a guy. I was blown away on MLBTR salary projections for brewers next year- been hard to squeeze hader in that pool at a ticket of 20 mil.
Ma4170
Hader was so bad before and after the trade that it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be… more of him being a big name than performing at this point
Inside Out
Yes you are the only one seeing something where there is nothing. Not everything is a conspiracy or has a hidden meaning. Sometimes take people at their word
tenten
He is going to be with the Mets on 2024!!!
Big whiffa
Translate: stearns has already declined Cohen.
westcoastmetsfan
How is that even possible when the Mets wee never given permission to speak to him?
User 401527550
No I’m other words he is telling the Brewers who expect a kings ransom that they will wait til next year.
Bart Harley Jarvis
@Big w,
Or he’s playing hard to get.
Sunday Lasagna
Matt Arnold gets a year to prove he can handle POBO duties without the title, and if he can, he can hire the next Brewers GM. Good luck Matt! Stearns gets to take it easy in his walk year and will be a nice free agent signing for a club looking for a POBO in 2024. It’s a plan
dlw0906
I’ve been reading a lot about Houston being very interested in Stearns. It does seem that he may have a deal in place somewhere and that won’t be announced till after WS. We’ll see.
Latino Heat
Sources? I’d be interested to read it considering how much of the Astros front office could be changing this off season
Rocker49
Considering Click’s contract expires at the end of the season and Crane never extended him and ignores all questions about this. I am guessing he has another GM already lined up, which is strange because Click has done a great job. My guess is Stearns, Sig, or a possible Luhnow reunion. There is definitely a reason he hasn’t extended Click.
Latino Heat
I’d be shocked if Luhnow ever worked for an MLB team again
Pads Fans
Why would Luhnow want to work in MLB again? He now owns 2 futbol/soccer teams, a sport that was his first love. One in Mexico where he was born and raised and the other in Spain.
poolerh
Not likely Luhnow returns to the Astros. Crane doesn’t need the negative PR optics that would create.
nottinghamforest13
People like you are hilarious. You like to act tough and say “sources” as if you’re so superior to everyone around you.
Latino Heat
Keyboard warrior here. I was seriously asking him to provide the sources so I can read them. reading is hard
Samuel
Believe Mr. Stearns wife is from Houston. Sure she’d like to go back home.
Mr. Stearns understands the Astros system – although he’ll have to be brought up to date on it.
LetsGoMets
A non-player personnel trade from the Mets past: acquired manager Gill Hodges from Washington for pitcher Bill Dennehy.
Poster formerly known as . . .
‘Though he’ll remain as a consultant with the Brewers, Stearns said he is “looking forward to taking a deep breath, spending time with my family and exploring some other interests.”
According to Newman, he always wanted to be a banker.
waterdog311
According to George, he always wanted to be an architect.
LFGMets (Metsin7)
Thats one way of getting out of a speeding ticket
stubby66
Think this is all mouth and cheek. Everyone is getting what they probably want. Sterns gets to relax some. Plus if Stern this year were to make a trade to a team he eventually were to take over. He would probably be accused on doing on purpose to help himself later because people would assume he knew he was going to said team. also doing it this way if a team wants to get ahead and sign Sterns early Milwaukee will get compensation, which quite frankly I hope it’s the Mets. Just give us Baty and another prospect pitcher. Arnold is more then ready. Do it now during a lame duck year so we don’t lose Arnold too this off-season. We wait and we may not have either of them next year. It’s a win win for everyone in the situation now do it in a way so it isn’t breaking rules and everyone looks like the good guy.
LFGMets (Metsin7)
I dont really like Stearns that much but I think that Billy Eppler is probably the worst GM in all of baseball. I don’t really care that they won 101 wins, that was in due part to the team spending more than any other team and having Buck Showalter at the helm. Eppler never constructed a good bullpen, his deadline moves were some of the worst I’ve ever scene, and he never improved us at DH or Catching. Should of gotten the can after this last season
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
And then remember what a monumental nothing-burger Eppler was as GM for the Angels. (Though I’m sure Arte Moreno didn’t lend him much of a hand). I think Eppler is worse than Minasian.
Interim GM
A collapse reminiscent of 2007 with Max doing his best Tom Glavine impersonation. They made first round of the fake playoffs. Big deal. Team totally quit in September, not my favorite group. All the Cohen fan boys ” da bigg spendah is finally heah” need to calm down. I’m in the minority but I like a lot of the teams the Wilpons put on the field through the years. Not as nearly bad as they are made out. When Fantasy League Steve gets past the the first round of the fake playoffs with a team that doesn’t fold up I’ll take notice.
Imagine that Jason Phillips was stronger at Catcher for the Mets that Nino/McCann.
Cosmo2
His deadline deals were certainly head scratching, to say the least
CleaverGreene
Plenty of fans around the country would love 101 wins. Only insecure Met fans spit on that.
Cosmo2
Was a very good season but he traded JD Davis and Szap and in return got…. an inferior version of JD Davis
86mets
Oh yay! Billy Bob Eppler to continue as head honcho. Yes, we won 101 games. But Billy Bob blew it at the trade deadline. And his track record in Anaheim is dubious, at best. Don’t like the guy. Never have. Don’t trust him.
rolafaive
I think the Mets are every bit interested in Stearns, but don’t wish to look like they are tampering, thus the 1-year advisory position Stearns is on, He has to have some idea of a position that is being held for him with another unmentioned team, again keeping quiet for fear of tampering accusations, I think there was some tension between Mark A and Stearns and didn’t help for Stearns to watch teams open up the checkbooks for players and Milwaukee not.
Samuel
1. All things considered, I believe Stearns would rather go to Houston than the Mets. There will be points that Stephen Cohen will pull the rug out from any of his baseball people. Houston’s owner will stay hands off – he and Stearns know one another and have worked together.
2. There is something funny going on with Stearns and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio.
Am not much into conspiracies, and don’t like speculating about things when I’m not in the room. They usually play themselves out. However…..
Am not sure I’ve ever seen a situation like the one in Milwaukee. It was known that Mr. Cohen tried to interview both Stearns and Matt Arnold last year. Mr. Attanasio refused to allow the interviews. That happens. Then we have a situation where the contract between Stearns and the Brewers wasn’t made public – sort of an odd thing. No one has known if he was hired through 2022 or 2023 or had an option after 2023, etc. Sure, there are details in FO people contracts with organizations that the public doesn’t know about – but usually everyone knows when the contract expires.
It’s looking like Mr. Stearns would like to head elsewhere (with a higher budget to work with) and Mr. Attanasio won’t let him go. So Mr. Stearns gets to hang around Milwaukee for a year, getting paid to be a sounding board for Mr. Attanasio and Mr. Arnold and decompressing some at age 37.
Don’t recall seeing a situation like this in MLB. Maybe it’s on the up-and-up – but it truly is odd.
foppert
It’s take no prisoners in New York baseball circles ! Expectations aplenty. If memory serves me correctly, Mets were the ridiculed, red headed, stepchild of the league when Eppler was hired. Not anymore.
Angels & NL West
Eppler should have picked up Marsh, Thor, Vasquez or Mancini at the deadline like the Phils and Astros. Anyone could see these big, splashy moves guaranteed a spot in the WS. Every MLBTR reader could have won 101 with the Mets roster. Eppler should have won 120+.
frankt
What is this fascination with Stearns? What has he won? This is just writers starting rumors. Isn’t the GM the architect of a team. Billy Eppler has done a good job but whiffed at the deadline. Took a team from 77 wins to 101 wins in a year. I think he knows what’s he’s doing.
Stormintazz
I don’t get the goo goo fans have for Stearns. He has trouble assembling an offense other than K/HR centric. He dumpster dives frequently on players released. His signing of Josh Lindblom is never mentioned. That was a $9 million mistake.
The hader deal was tough. He had to move Hader because they team could not afford him. Stearns had to get some talent back to keep them in the playoff hunt. But he had to have something prospect wise to help a lite minor league system. The handling of Lamet was a Stearns mistake. Stearns usually got a free pass by Brewers fans.