Executives around MLB believe the New York Mets are close to landing the person who would be a perfect fit to be their next team president.
Earlier this year veteran baseball executive Sandy Alderson stepped down from his role as the New York Mets president of baseball operations. While some Mets fans may not have been completely satisfied with his two tenures in the role, they had success overseeing the team and he led the them back to the World Series in 2015.
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Due to health concerns and his advanced age, Alderson has shifted to a role as an advisor for the organization and has helped in their search for his replacement. On Tuesday, The Athletic revealed that the Mets are among several teams that are currently pursuing former Milwaukee Brewers President David Stearns. And while they are competing with the Houston Astros for his services, New York is reportedly “down the road” in talks.
That should be very positive news for New York Mets fans because several rival executives believe Stearns would be an excellent fit for the organization. On Wednesday, The Athletic received opinions from a slew of MLB decision-makers, and several major reasons were given for why the team is chasing the “ideal fit” for the position.
David Stearns seen as ‘perfect’ fit to be New York Mets next president
Firstly, the 38-year-old is a native of New York, who was raised in Manhattan, and grew up a Mets fan, so he understands the intense passion of baseball fans in the city. However, the biggest compliment given in the report was that Stearns joining the Mets could be similar to the huge impact Andrew Friedman becoming general manager had on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Friedman was a top executive for the Tampa Bay Rays — a small market club — and took what he learned and has helped make LA a perennial contender. Stearns is similar in being a key figure for the small market Brewers and took them from being a losing team and turned them into a group that made the playoffs four straight years before he stepped down last year.
“Wherever Stearns goes, his resume suggests there’s a good chance he will make an outsized impact. It’s just that, as multiple front-office people from different teams put it, he’d fit the Mets so perfectly.”
– Will Sammon, The Athletic
Current Mets General Manager Billy Eppler is expected to hold on to his role if Stearns is hired as New York’s next president.