The Mets have landed their man, agreeing to hire David Stearns as their president of baseball operations, the Daily News learned.
Stearns, who stepped down from the same role with the Brewers last fall, will begin a five-year deal with the Mets following the regular season, a source confirmed.
The 38-year-old Stearns, a New York City native, had long been connected to fill the vacancy with the Mets, whom he grew up cheering for.
He’s now tasked with turning around a Mets team that entered Tuesday with a 65-78 record despite beginning the season with a payroll around $360 million, the highest in MLB history.
Mets owner Steve Cohen has been open about his desire to appoint a president of baseball operations, a position above general manager Billy Eppler.
“I’m still looking for a president of baseball operations. Billy knows, I’ve had that conversation and he’s supportive,” Cohen said in June. “You know, my view, is this a very complex job. And there’s a lot to do and it’s a lot on one person. Obviously, there are people under Billy, but from a leadership standpoint, that’s still out there. At some point, we will fill that position.”
The retooling Mets traded numerous key players, including co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, before the deadline. Star slugger Pete Alonso, who is in the midst of his third season with at least 40 home runs and 100 RBI, is due to become a free agent after the 2024 season and has been the subject of trade rumors.
The Mets haven’t announced Stearns’ hiring. Before Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks, manager Buck Showalter said he hasn’t spoken with Cohen or Eppler about his future with the team or thought about whether he’ll return in 2024.
“I’ve been all focused on baseball and the games and everything,” Showalter said at Citi Field. “No. That’s the short answer.”
Showalter didn’t confirm Stearns’ addition.
“We as a staff, I’ll talk to our coaches and everything, it’s ‘stay on task.’ These things usually work themselves out if you stay true to the game and what your job description is,” Showalter said.
Stearns became the Brewers’ general manager in 2015 and ascended to their president of baseball operations job in 2019. He’s served as an advisor since exiting the president role last year but was permitted to speak with other teams following last month’s trade deadline.
The Brewers made the playoffs four years in a row between 2018 and 2021, winning the NL Central twice during that stretch.
ALVAREZ RETURNS TO LINEUP
Two days after a hit by pitch prompted an early exit, rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez returned Tuesday to the Mets’ starting lineup, batting ninth.
X-rays were negative after Alvarez, 21, was hit between his right hand and wrist by a Pablo Lopez fastball during Sunday’s win over the Twins. He left that game and didn’t play in Monday’s series-opening loss to Arizona, but Showalter downplayed the severity of the injury.
REID-FOLEY TO IL
Righty reliever Sean Reid-Foley went on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right lat strain after experiencing discomfort during Monday’s relief appearance.
Showalter said before the roster move that Reid-Foley, 28, was getting imaging done on his shoulder.
The Mets recalled pitcher Reed Garrett from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move.
