The New York Mets officially introduced David Stearns as their new president of baseball operations on Monday.
Stearns, 38, will oversee the entire operations department, effective immediately.
The native New Yorker and former Milwaukee Brewers general manager grew up rooting for the Mets and was an intern with the club in 2008.
“I’m incredibly excited to welcome David back to Queens,” Mets owner, chairman and CEO Steve Cohen said in a news release. “I said numerous times I wanted to find the right person for this position, and I believe David is exactly that — an experienced executive with a wide range of skillsets that will help push our baseball operations forward. He understands our fans’ passion and knows what it takes to build a sustainable, winning team.”
Previous reports said Stearns received a five-year contract with the Mets, who fired manager Buck Showalter on Sunday and finished the season with a 75-87 record.
“There is not an opportunity in baseball more meaningful to me than the chance to help lead this franchise,” Stearns said. “I grew up, in large part, at Shea. I lived and breathed Mets baseball and I’m thrilled I get to do that again. I’d like to thank Steve and Alex (Cohen) for giving me this opportunity. Their dedication to this organization and community was evident throughout our discussions, and I look forward to working with them towards achieving our shared vision of building a consistent championship contender.”
Stearns stepped down from his post with the Brewers last October and took on a club advisory role with his contract not set to expire until the end of this season. Matt Arnold took over as Brewers president.
Named the Brewers GM at the age of 30 and with two division titles under his belt, Stearns was highly coveted by teams looking to fill executive positions in the league, with the Houston Astros also reported to be in the mix.
Stearns was an assistant GM with the Astros under Jeff Luhnow from 2012-15 before joining the Brewers.
The Harvard-educated Stearns is known for being able to develop competitive rosters despite restricted budgets, and his tenure in both Houston and Milwaukee involved impressive turnarounds.
With the Astros, he helped the team put together an especially dramatic turnaround, going from 51 wins in 2013 to 70 in 2014 and 86 in 2015, when they clinched an AL wild-card spot for their first trip to the postseason in 10 years.
In Milwaukee, he helped engineer moves that brought the Brewers to the postseason in four consecutive seasons (2018-21) for the first time in franchise history. A highlight of that stretch was the 2018 season in which the Brewers won a franchise record-tying 96 games, earned the NL Central Division title and came within a game of reaching the World Series.
His prior experience also includes internships with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ front office, as well as work for the Arizona Fall League and the MLB commissioner’s office. He also worked in baseball operations for the Cleveland franchise for just under a year before joining the Astros.
–Field Level Media