Milwaukee Brewers: GM David Stearns Signs Extension, Gets Promotion

The Milwaukee Brewers have finally completed what should have been their top priority this offseason, coming to an agreement with GM David Stearns on a contract extension.

Since being hired in 2015, Milwaukee Brewers GM David Stearns has made one right move after another and has brought this team from a rebuilding club to a World Series contender in just a few short years.

Now, after several other MLB teams wanted to interview Stearns for their GM openings earlier this offseason, the Brewers have locked Stearns into a contract for the next several years along with a shiny new promotion to go with it.

The Brewers, in the past, have not had a “President of Baseball Operations” position. It’s simply a new title, but Stearns’ day-to-day activities and responsibilities won’t change. It also makes it more difficult for other teams to try to pry him away from Milwaukee, since they cannot give him a promotion over what is the highest position in baseball operations around the league.

It’s interesting how this news breaks one day after the announcement of a new naming rights deal for the stadium with American Family Insurance. It caused a lot of negative backlash online, but now with this positive news, people might be a little less angry at the club.

Great News For The Brewers

Last January, Stearns acquired both Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain within hours of each other. He put the finishing touches on this roster to take them from an overachieving rebuilding club, to a legitimate World Series contender. He narrowly missed out on winning Executive of the Year, and would have if it wasn’t for Billy Beane’s A’s somehow winning 97 games in a top-heavy American League.

While that accolade eludes him, Brewers fans and people around the league recognize Stearns as the best young GM in baseball. The fact that he’ll be keeping his work address at 1 Miller Park Way is fantastic news for all Brewers fans.

Stearns could’ve turned down extension offers and looked to leave for a larger market with a larger payroll as soon as his first contract was up. But he didn’t want to do that. He wants to stay in Milwaukee and finish what he started.

David Stearns has brought several key players to this roster in Yelich, Cain, Jhoulys Chacin, Travis Shaw, Jesus Aguilar, Jeremy Jeffress, Chase Anderson, Freddy Peralta, Yasmani Grandal, etc.

The terms of Stearns’ deal were not revealed, and we don’t know how many years were added on to his contract, or what his pay raise will be, because he’s certainly earned one. But rest assured, Stearns will be the GM of this ballclub for the foreseeable future.

The Milwaukee Brewers also signed COO Rick Schlesinger to a contract extension on the business side of things.