Brewers, For Third Time, Deny Mets A Chance To Interview David Stearns

Third time’s the charm, right? Wrong. For the third time in four years, the New York Mets have tried to interview the Brewers top baseball executive, David Stearns. And for the third time, the Brewers have rejected that request.

You would think the Mets would learn by now that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio has no intention of letting David Stearns go. But sometimes lessons must be learned through repetition.

The Mets formally submitted the request recently and it was immediately rejected by Attanasio on Monday.

David Stearns will be staying as the Brewers president of baseball operations as the Mets are denied a chance to interview him by Brewers ownership.

In 2018, when the Mets were searching for a new GM, they tried to get David Stearns. They were rejected. Former Brewers GM Doug Melvin was a candidate, but New York decided to go with a player agent in Brodie Van Wagenen, who was an abject disaster. Then, when Steve Cohen took over ownership, he immediately fired Van Wagenen and started another search.

That search led them to once again try for Stearns in 2020, and for the second time in three years, the Mets were denied a chance to interview him.

So after choosing and then firing a player agent as GM, the Mets went with Jared Porter, who turned out to have a serious sexual harassment problem, and then had to fire him and promote Zack Scott, who was arrested for DUI a few weeks ago. So now they’re searching for a new GM, again.

Steve Cohen had big names on his list for president of baseball operations, wanting to really make a splash. Stearns was on that list, and Mark Attanasio said no, for the third time in four years.

Too bad, so sad, New York.

Stearns seems to forever be the one that got away. He was an intern in their front office back in 2008, then he went elsewhere and they realized how much they needed him but it’s too late. Now he’s happy somewhere else and prying him away from that just isn’t going to happen. Try and try they might, there’s nothing the Mets can do to make Attanasio want to give them the opportunity to interview Stearns.

The only chance the Mets may have had was for the Brewers to win the World Series, so Stearns can feel like his work here is accomplished and then he’d want to move on to another challenge. He may or may not think that way. If he wins here, Stearns may just want to stay forever. Attanasio would certainly love to keep him here if they accomplish that. But the Brewers fell short this year, so it’ll be at least one more year until they can feel that way.

Stearns is under contract through 2022 with a reported option for 2023. Granted, these two can work out an extension at any time, and if those reports on his contract are true, an extension will likely be forthcoming in the next year or so.

The Mets have quite the search for an executive ahead of them, and it will have to go forward without David Stearns in the fold.