Brewers: David Stearns’ Contract Has Interesting Twist

The Mets have an obsession with David Stearns, and it may actually lead to them becoming fans of the Milwaukee Brewers, at least for a little while.

The boredom of being 70+ days into a lockout has led a reporter, Andy Martino, to do some digging into David Stearns. It’s well known by now that the Mets want to bring Stearns in to be their President of Baseball Operations. They have asked the Brewers for permission to interview him three times and the Brewers have denied them all three times.

It’s a lateral move and Stearns is under contract so Brewers owner Mark Attanasio can deny the interview request.

It was reported last fall that David Stearns had just one more guaranteed year on his contract plus a vesting option for 2023. The legitimacy of that report wasn’t fully clear at the time, but it seems more accurate now, especially with this report today.

According to a report, David Stearns will be let out of his contract in 2022 if the Milwaukee Brewers win the NL Pennant and make the World Series.

The vesting option for 2023 is contingent on whether or not the Milwaukee Brewers win the pennant and go to their first World Series since 1982. It doesn’t matter whether they win or lose the World Series, but as long as they get there is what matters.

If the Brewers do get to the World Series, Stearns’ 2023 option falls away and Stearns becomes available to search elsewhere essentially as a free agent. If Milwaukee once again falls short of the Fall Classic, the contract option vests and Stearns will once again be at the helm of the Brewers in 2023.

It’s a very interesting design concept for Stearns and the Brewers. Typically if a team performs well, the executive gets his contract extended, not shortened. But Stearns isn’t your typical front office executive. He’s established and highly sought after, especially by the Mets, his hometown team growing up. Stearns’ job security in Milwaukee is firm: As long as he wants to be here, Attanasio will have him. This gives Stearns some control over his own destiny.

Since arriving in Milwaukee from Houston, Stearns has set out the goal of getting the Brewers back to the World Series.

“I would not have come here if I didn’t think it was possible to win a World Series in Milwaukee.”-David Stearns at his introductory press conference in 2015

If Stearns achieves his goal of a World Series title in Milwaukee, he’ll have earned his right to choose what team he wants to run. He could choose to leave for New York at that point, or he could choose to stay in Milwaukee if he really wanted to.

As tempting as it is to become the leader of the team he grew up rooting for, Stearns wants to finish what he started here in Milwaukee first. He deserves a lot of respect and credit for that.

Keep in mind, the report on the contract is that he would be let out of his deal if the Brewers win the NL Pennant. If they win the pennant but lose the World Series, Stearns still can get out of his contract even though the Brewers still wouldn’t have achieved his ultimate goal of winning a World Series in Milwaukee.

Would he choose to come back then and finish the job he started? That’s a question for a later day. First, the Brewers have to get to the World Series, then we can worry about the outcome of it and ramifications from that.

By this report from Martino, it’s clear what the goal is for Stearns, the Brewers, and frankly, the Mets, this year. The goal is for the Brewers to get to the World Series. Stearns wants to finish what he started, and even though the fans don’t want Stearns to leave, we also want to see this team (w)in the World Series.

It’s clear the Mets will not stop pursuing Stearns. The only thing stopping him from leaving is the desire to finish what he started here.