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LAS VEGAS — As someone who spent seven seasons atop the Brewers front office, David Stearns wasn’t totally disconnected as the franchise celebrated its first World Series title two weeks ago.
“I’m just really happy for that group,” the Mets president of baseball operations said Wednesday at the general managers meetings. “I know a lot of those folks over there. They have worked incredibly hard, so it’s incredibly well deserved.”
Stearns, who stepped aside from running the Brewers after the 2022 season to serve as a team consultant for one year before jumping to the Mets, was careful to distance himself from his former club when asked if he felt any measure of pride in helping develop part of Milwaukee’s core.
He repeated that he was happy for the Brewers, beginning with the team’s ownership.
Were there takeaways from the Brewers’ success that might translate as he attempts to win with the Mets?
“Each situation is unique, and when you see organizations operate on a high level, you always try to learn something from them,” Stearns said. “We also recognize we’re in a different place, different market and need to act differently.”
Most notably, the Brewers won the World Series with a $146 million payroll — less than half of what the Mets spent last season on salaries.
And whereas a rebuilding season or two might be tolerated in the smallest media market for a major league team, it doesn’t work in New York under an owner in Steve Cohen with a stated goal of competing for a championship each season.
“I think one of the benefits we have is we have the entirety of the player universe and the whole world available to us,” Stearns said. “That is a benefit and it’s also different than what some other markets have, including Milwaukee.”
But that hardly guarantees the right pieces will be selected, as Stearns discovered last season — a calamity he previously described as an “uncapped downside scenario.” The Mets assumed risk with a drastic roster overhaul and significantly underperformed, finishing with 74 victories, far removed from the postseason race.
“There are challenges in all markets,” Stearns said. “My job is to use the advantages we have in our market and to put a consistent winner on the field. I think we’re going to be able to do that.”
The Mets have missed the playoffs the past two seasons, putting Stearns firmly on the hot seat as he begins the fourth year of a contract that runs through 2028.
This winter’s primary mission is to improve a starting rotation that includes many question marks. Team officials will meet next week with the top free agent on the market, Tarik Skubal, with the hope of luring the left-hander to Queens on what could be a record contract for a starting pitcher.
Asked Wednesday to name the certainties for his starting rotation next season, Stearns named Nolan McLean and Christian Scott.
“I don’t know that I am going to go and line up the entirety of what that group looks like when we’re still [months] away from all showing up in Port St. Lucie,” Stearns said. “But I would also expect there to be a member or members of the rotation who aren’t members of the organization right now.”
The industry faces a Dec. 2 shutdown, with owners set to impose a lockout as they seek a salary cap. But from Stearns’ perspective, this offseason is like any other.
“I am confident that however this offseason plays out, we’ll be well prepared to handle it,” Stearns said. “And when the games begin, we’re going to have a good team on the field.”
