The New York Mets will hire former Milwaukee Brewers President of Baseball Operations David Stearns after the 2023 season ends, according to ESPN.
He will serve as the president of baseball operations for the Mets, and Billy Eppler, the current general manager of the Mets, will remain in his role next season and serve as the No. 2 to Stearns, according to ESPN.
ESPN's Jeff Passan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the 38-year-old Stearns will be a "monumental addition to the organization" and indicated that a "new era" will begin for the Mets under Stearns.
The New York Mets are hiring David Stearns as president of baseball operations, sources familiar with the situation tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 12, 2023
A monumental addition to the organization, Stearns, 38, will take over officially once the regular season is over. The new era of the Mets begins soon.
Stearns began his career with the Mets, where he started as an intern, but they did not hire him full-time. He joined the Brewers in 2015 as general manager after spending three seasons as assistant general manager with the Houston Astros.
In his first three seasons for the Brewers, Stearns had success. Under his reign, the Brewers earned four consecutive postseason berths (2018-21) for the first time in the franchise's history. In his third year, the team won a franchise record-tying 96 games, won the National League Central Division title and came within one game of the World Series.
One of Stearns' biggest acquisitions was in 2018 when he traded four prospects to the Miami Marlins for outfielder Christian Yelich. Yelich won the National League MVP that season.
Stearns was also the youngest general manager in MLB history. He was promoted in 2019 to president of baseball operations for the Brewers. Stearns stepped away from that role in October of 2022, stating that he needed a break. He began an advisory role with the Brewers and Matt Arnold took over baseball operations.
Stearns' contract in Milwaukee was set to expire after this season.
Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets, repeatedly stated he wanted to add a president of baseball operations to his organization, saying he did not want a "rookie" in the role.
"If you want to hire great talent, they just don't show up," Cohen said during a press conference in June. "I've been patient because I do not want to make a mistake, and so I can't tell you if it's gonna be this year. I don't know. Is it gonna be next year? I don't know. But at some point, that's gonna happen."
Stearns will attempt to turn around a franchise that has not experienced much recent success. The Mets have made the playoffs just once in the past seven seasons and haven't won a World Series since 1986.
The Mets entered the season with big expectations and the highest payroll in baseball history, but have been a massive disapoitment in 2023. They are 65-78, 28.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East and 10 games out of a wild-card spot.
One of Stearns’ first decisions will be deciding what to do with star first baseman Pete Alonso, who the Brewers tried to acquire before the trade deadline, according to The Athletic. Alonso will be a free agent following the 2024 season.