Stearns mentioned for Met's Presidents job

[MrTPlush]

It’s incredibly common and almost common occurrence for manager and GM contracts to go down to a year remaining and then extend it prior to the lame duck season. If the Brewers enter 2022 with no extension announced then I would be really concerned.

[MrTPlush]

There is absolutely nothing to point to Stearns having any interest in the Mets job. The only thing that gets hashed over and over is the fact that is his hometown team or something.

 

It doesn’t make a ton of sense for Stearns to leave the Brewers. He might as well ride the Brewers until the team dies (probably when Woodruff/Burnes/Hader/Adames are going out the door) and then leave for a premium job when he looks like a genius still. Basically what Theo Epstein does…it’s a genius plan for a GM.

 

I would predict the Brewers/Stearns come to an extension agreement this off-season going through 2024 or 2025. Trust Stearns through the rest of the window and possibly to start you on the right path to a rebuild. Then let him go to a more interesting and probably a big market team. Can’t blame a guy building such a resume to not want to man our entire rebuild of suck.

 

That assumes we have to rebuild after the current group leaves. With the likes of Ashby, Small and Williams being groomed to take over for Woodruff/Hader and company it may not be a one off build like the Braun/Fielder years. The ability to build a dynasty is something he knows he can do here considering he's half way there, he knows this is a quality organization and the owner and fans are behind him all the way. Those are not all guaranteed in NY.

 

Maybe they will need a rebuild, maybe they won’t. I think the most realistic expectation is at least a soft rebuild. Possibly comparable to their last one…which all things considered wasn’t a long or brutal rebuild. The odds we can survive all those guys leaving is pretty darn unlikely.

 

Of course I didn’t think it would be possible to bring three elite aces through the system at the same time either…so who knows.

[markedman5]

Let's also remember that when Stearns was hired he didn't have the option to bring in his own guy....he was told that CC would still be the guy going forward. I have no doubt that Mark would do the same again if necessary.

 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewwagner/2020/01/08/craig-counsell-and-david-stearns-have-been-a-perfect-match-for-the-milwaukee-brewers/?sh=12227c1f6e09

[PeaveyFury]

Maybe they will need a rebuild, maybe they won’t. I think the most realistic expectation is at least a soft rebuild. Possibly comparable to their last one…which all things considered wasn’t a long or brutal rebuild. The odds we can survive all those guys leaving is pretty darn unlikely.

 

At the same time, though, that was EXPECTED to be a brutal/long rebuild at the time. Considering they found a way to basically be competitive 1.5 years later (missing the WC just one full season after Stearns was hired), I wouldn't be surprised if they end up with a Cardinals-like situation where they never really have to truly 'rebuild' (call it soft if you'd prefer, I suppose), while still being vaguely in the WC race, etc.

[Thurston Fluff]

Maybe they will need a rebuild, maybe they won’t. I think the most realistic expectation is at least a soft rebuild. Possibly comparable to their last one…which all things considered wasn’t a long or brutal rebuild. The odds we can survive all those guys leaving is pretty darn unlikely.

 

At the same time, though, that was EXPECTED to be a brutal/long rebuild at the time. Considering they found a way to basically be competitive 1.5 years later (missing the WC just one full season after Stearns was hired), I wouldn't be surprised if they end up with a Cardinals-like situation where they never really have to truly 'rebuild' (call it soft if you'd prefer, I suppose), while still being vaguely in the WC race, etc.

 

That's what was promised to us when they hired Stearns. Now that he's halfway to making that a reality it'd be a shame to start over with someone new. That goes for both sides. Does Stearns want to start over when he's half way to a dynasty? It takes a decade or more to do that.

[dlk9s]

I hope the guy stays forever. But the whole FO is onto something, and I think that goes beyond one guy.

The other concern is if a new guy comes in and wants to put 'his guy' in as manager. I'd really hate to lose CC to politics.

 

There's less of a chance of that happening than there is of the Brewers not winning the division this year.

[owbc]

It’s incredibly common and almost common occurrence for manager and GM contracts to go down to a year remaining and then extend it prior to the lame duck season. If the Brewers enter 2022 with no extension announced then I would be really concerned.

 

The Brewers will surely endure attempts to poach talent with the success they are having. It will be interesting to see who (if anyone) is offered a competitive counteroffer to stay and who ends up moving on.

 

There was a time when many of us, myself included, thought that Derek Johnson should be retained at any cost. Management didn't feel that way.

[PeaveyFury]

 

There was a time when many of us, myself included, thought that Derek Johnson should be retained at any cost. Management didn't feel that way.

 

A really good point.

[MrTPlush]

Maybe they will need a rebuild, maybe they won’t. I think the most realistic expectation is at least a soft rebuild. Possibly comparable to their last one…which all things considered wasn’t a long or brutal rebuild. The odds we can survive all those guys leaving is pretty darn unlikely.

 

At the same time, though, that was EXPECTED to be a brutal/long rebuild at the time. Considering they found a way to basically be competitive 1.5 years later (missing the WC just one full season after Stearns was hired), I wouldn't be surprised if they end up with a Cardinals-like situation where they never really have to truly 'rebuild' (call it soft if you'd prefer, I suppose), while still being vaguely in the WC race, etc.

 

I don't think it was expected to be brutal, like 100+ loses and lots of 90 loss seasons brutal. We had a few strong pieces (Gomez/Lucroy/etc.) to largely replenish the farm. We did turn it around way faster than expected though. I think most thought 2019/2020 is when we would start competing again.

 

If Devin Williams stays elite, Freddy Peralta stay a legit ace, and at least one of Ashby/Small becomes a TOR guy they probably have the pitching core to be a good team. The problem is the offense. They have nice depth of intriguing hitters, but they are far from locks to be MLB players. Obviously the wild card is how they deal with some of the current core when they near FA.

 

On another note I don't really buy into him maybe wanting to leave for a "bigger challenge". Being a GM is a constant challenge no matter where you are. We have hardly been cruising the last four years even though the end of the year records make it look that way. It has taken a lot of luck and some key moves to get us where we are. It has been anything but easy for Stearns. If he wants a challenge he should stick around till 2023-2025 when he has a competing team, but a bunch of studs about to hit FA. We saw how the Cubs traversed a similar situation and they totally failed bringing all of those guys into the 2021 season. The Cubs will likely feel the effects of those decision for years to come.

[PeaveyFury]

I don't think it was expected to be brutal, like 100+ loses and lots of 90 loss seasons brutal. We had a few strong pieces (Gomez/Lucroy/etc.) to largely replenish the farm. We did turn it around way faster than expected though. I think most thought 2019/2020 is when we would start competing again.

 

I think that's both fair and dependent on one's own definition of brutal

 

I think the general assumption was a 'Cubs-like' 4-5 year rebuild, as you note. Whether that expectation included 3-4 years of top 5 picks-level bad, I can't say for certain, but I think that was the assumption of the more typical fanbase and the local/national media (who admittedly are often wrong, especially where the Stearns-led Brewers have been). But in any case, they certainly were ahead of their expected window of competitiveness.

 

Whether that's Stearns' success or having some pieces on-hand that Melvin and Stearns were both able to start the rebuild with or some combination of both is anyone's guess, I suppose.

[JohnBriggs12]

I hope the guy stays forever. But the whole FO is onto something, and I think that goes beyond one guy.

The other concern is if a new guy comes in and wants to put 'his guy' in as manager. I'd really hate to lose CC to politics.

 

There's less of a chance of that happening than there is of the Brewers not winning the division this year.

 

Exactly. Counsell is widely regarded in baseball as one of the top 3-4 managers in the game.

[MrTPlush]

Whether that's Stearns' success or having some pieces on-hand that Melvin and Stearns were both able to start the rebuild with or some combination of both is anyone's guess, I suppose.

 

Stearns certainly fell into a good situation with how the team was left to him and it is a big reason why they started competing so quickly. Looking at the 2017-2018 teams you have guys like Domingo Santana, Josh Hader, Zach Davies, Jimmy Nelson, Adrian Houser, Brandon Woodruff, Corey Knebel, and even Braun. He was also given a fantastic payroll situation to be able to sign Cain (who was huge in 2018) and was left Jonathan Lucroy who gave them the ability to trade for Yelich.

 

Of course Stearns also worked a lot of magic to jumpstart this run early on. Manny Pina, Jesus Aguilar, Travis Shaw, Chase Anderson, Wade Miley, and Freddy Peralta all played a part in the turnaround for the team.

 

While a big part of Doug Melvin is still on this team it has certainly started to be more and more David Stearns as his draft picks start to arrive and many of the Doug Melvin acquisitions disappear. I felt like 21-22 was going to be a really defining time for Stearns as the Brewers GM...and it certainly is going pretty well so far.

[Thurston Fluff]

Something I think gets overlooked is the difference it makes taking over for a team that was generally run well vs one that wasn't. Melvin may not have succeeded in winning it all but he did manage to run the organization competently. As MrTPlush pointed out the cupboard wasn't bare when Stearns came in. Something Melvin wasn't given when he came in.

[KeithStone53151]

As great as Stearns has been here, I'm not sure he could be so successful in NY. Their payroll while larger is fairly hamstrung by a few players that mostly aren't worth their contracts at this point. Degrom yes if healthy, Cano/Lindor/McCann absolutely not. Solely from the roster building perspective, he's going to have a much more difficult time. And that's without considering the toxic culture and hands-on/toxic owner. That overall feels like a no-win situation for whoever shows up.

[owbc]

Something I think gets overlooked is the difference it makes taking over for a team that was generally run well vs one that wasn't. Melvin may not have succeeded in winning it all but he did manage to run the organization competently. As MrTPlush pointed out the cupboard wasn't bare when Stearns came in. Something Melvin wasn't given when he came in.

 

Cohen will eventually be a good owner, but it takes time. He's stumbled out of the gate but he's a smart guy who really wants to win and I think he'll figure it out eventually. Attanasio is way better at the job now than he was 10 years ago. There's no doubt that Stearns was set up for success by Melvin but especially Attanasio. That's part of why I'm not concerned at all if they decide to let him walk.

 

To me, the first move showing that Attanasio knew what he was doing as an owner was when he hired Brian Anderson in 2007. Just a couple years in at that point and he recognized the importance of that role to the franchise, involved himself in the search, and resisted the temptation to make a "safe" hire.

[Eye Black]

This article mentions the possibility of Cohen targeting Stearns…

 

New York Post: Steve Cohen’s testy tweeting isn’t only hurdle in critical Mets decision: Sherman

[ClosetBrewerFan]

Its odd to hear that Cohen was "frustrated" that he could not talk to GMs currently under contract. Isn't that the whole point of signing contracts? So you have stability during that period. If it does not work out and the owner has to fire the GM, he still has to pay the GM the rest of his contract. The owner should get something for that guaranteed contract.

 

The article also floating whether the Brewers would consider letting Stearns go in a trade with the return being someone like Jeff McNeill. He's having a poor season but has a great track record. If the Mets job was truly Stearns dream job, I could see Attanasio not wanting to stand in the way. We do have Matt Arnold waiting in the wings and its unlikely both can be kept in the org for the long term. Mark could ask for a McNeill or even Dom Smith (also having a bad year). Either of those would be nice depth to replace Avisail next year. Might be too steep of an ask but if I were him, I would ask.

[TURBO]

Its odd to hear that Cohen was "frustrated" that he could not talk to GMs currently under contract. Isn't that the whole point of signing contracts? So you have stability during that period. If it does not work out and the owner has to fire the GM, he still has to pay the GM the rest of his contract. The owner should get something for that guaranteed contract.

 

The article also floating whether the Brewers would consider letting Stearns go in a trade with the return being someone like Jeff McNeill. He's having a poor season but has a great track record. If the Mets job was truly Stearns dream job, I could see Attanasio not wanting to stand in the way. We do have Matt Arnold waiting in the wings and its unlikely both can be kept in the org for the long term. Mark could ask for a McNeill or even Dom Smith (also having a bad year). Either of those would be nice depth to replace Avisail next year. Might be too steep of an ask but if I were him, I would ask.

 

I wouldn't trade Stearns for both of those guys...

 

pass.

[jerichoholicninja]

"Reports" that the Mets are interested in bringing in both the A's Billy Beane and Bob Melvin together. Maybe there is some truth to this stuff but it's just as likely writers see a big market team needs a new GM so they look at who's running successful small market teams and make things up.

[Roderick]

Its odd to hear that Cohen was "frustrated" that he could not talk to GMs currently under contract. Isn't that the whole point of signing contracts? So you have stability during that period. If it does not work out and the owner has to fire the GM, he still has to pay the GM the rest of his contract. The owner should get something for that guaranteed contract.

 

The article also floating whether the Brewers would consider letting Stearns go in a trade with the return being someone like Jeff McNeill. He's having a poor season but has a great track record. If the Mets job was truly Stearns dream job, I could see Attanasio not wanting to stand in the way. We do have Matt Arnold waiting in the wings and its unlikely both can be kept in the org for the long term. Mark could ask for a McNeill or even Dom Smith (also having a bad year). Either of those would be nice depth to replace Avisail next year. Might be too steep of an ask but if I were him, I would ask.

 

I wouldn't trade Stearns for both of those guys...

 

pass.

 

At what point do you make lemonade as best you can. Stearns may interview and not even want to go work for that owner. Realistically, Stearns should have wrote an out in his contract for the Mets, if it was that big of a deal, but do you risk him getting a little disgruntled over it or get something in a trade and keep everybody moving up the food chain and happy. Of course, he should have to wait until the playoff run is over.

[TURBO]

Its odd to hear that Cohen was "frustrated" that he could not talk to GMs currently under contract. Isn't that the whole point of signing contracts? So you have stability during that period. If it does not work out and the owner has to fire the GM, he still has to pay the GM the rest of his contract. The owner should get something for that guaranteed contract.

 

The article also floating whether the Brewers would consider letting Stearns go in a trade with the return being someone like Jeff McNeill. He's having a poor season but has a great track record. If the Mets job was truly Stearns dream job, I could see Attanasio not wanting to stand in the way. We do have Matt Arnold waiting in the wings and its unlikely both can be kept in the org for the long term. Mark could ask for a McNeill or even Dom Smith (also having a bad year). Either of those would be nice depth to replace Avisail next year. Might be too steep of an ask but if I were him, I would ask.

 

I wouldn't trade Stearns for both of those guys...

 

pass.

 

At what point do you make lemonade as best you can. Stearns may interview and not even want to go work for that owner. Realistically, Stearns should have wrote an out in his contract for the Mets, if it was that big of a deal, but do you risk him getting a little disgruntled over it or get something in a trade and keep everybody moving up the food chain and happy. Of course, he should have to wait until the playoff run is over.

 

It would take a premier player(s) for me to trade Stearns away, even then, I don't know that I'd go through with it.

 

I just don't view the guys mentioned above as needle movers on our current roster.

[brewers888]

Stearns is far and away the most important person in this organization and we must do everything possible to keep him happy and interested in staying in Milwaukee long term.

[NievesNoNO]

If the Brewers somehow manage to win the WS, it wouldn't surprise me to see Stearns leave. I know players have been exchanged as compensation for front office folks, but I wouldn't really consider it a trade per se. In my view no GM has ever really been traded, only granted the request to move to another organization.

 

Yes, I could see it. With his success with the Brewers he could about name his price. The only thing that'll make him more valuable is a championship but as far as him maximizing his own value like a player would, he's at his peak right now.

[patrickgpe]

look at what the sox got from the cubs for Epstein. I think McNiel or Smith is not realistic. We don't know his contract situation, but I think ownership won't let him go without a fight.

[Eye Black]

From Adam McCalvy on Twitter…

 

Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio on rumors of interest throughout the game in Milwaukee’s president of baseball operations, David Stearns:

 

“He’s a great executive. He’s also under contract with us.”