Mets Make New Front Office Hire In First Major Shakeup

The New York Mets are making major changes to their front office after a disastrous 2023.

In a long-rumored move, the Mets have reportedly come to an agreement with Dave Stearns, the former president of baseball operations with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 38-year-old Stearns has a lengthy track record of success with the small market Brewers, helping turn them into a perennial contender in the National League Central.

Stearns started his career mainly with the Houston Astros in 2012, before moving to Milwaukee as general manager in 2015. By 2018, he'd turned the Brewers into a 96-win team that came within a win of making the World Series.

Sounds exactly like the type of front office move the New York Mets needed to make after their 2023 season.

Stearns reportedly grew up as a Mets fan and moved to an advisory role in Milwaukee following 2022, making this a long-rumored move. And it's a smart one for owner Steve Cohen, trying to revamp the team after one of the most disappointing seasons in recent history.

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 17: New York Mets owner Steve Cohen looks on during batting practice before the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 17, 2023 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Stearns has a track record of doing more with less, similar to what Andrew Friedman accomplished in Tampa Bay.

Giving Friedman a much bigger budget in Los Angeles has worked out pretty well, considering the Dodgers are close to wrapping up their 11th consecutive postseason appearance, most of those coming during Friedman's tenure.

With Steve Cohen's extremely high budgets and the Mets' existing farm system, Stearns now finds himself in a position to engineer a quick turnaround in Queens. That said, Cohen's also made it clear he doesn't expect the team to chase down every top free agent after the season.

READ: DID STEVE COHEN TAKE THE METS OUT OF THE SHOHEI OHTANI SWEEPSTAKES BEFORE THEY START?

He'll have major decisions to make in the coming months, as rumors have suggested the team could be open to trading superstar first baseman Pete Alonso.

Stearns helped guide the Brewers to 86-win seasons or better (outside of 2020) every year since 2017. Given the Mets aren't likely to even reach .500 this year, even that level would be a dramatic improvement.

It's the first in a necessary set of changes for the Mets, with a pathway to contention now seeming a bit more likely than it did a few weeks ago.