New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who invested a large amount of money in the offseason and barely advanced to the postseason, appointed former Milwaukee Brewers President of Baseball Operations Davis Stearns (38) to the same position. recruited. It was expected, and all that remains is an official announcement.
After majoring in political science at the prestigious Harvard University, Stearns worked for the New York Mets, Major League Baseball, assistant general manager of the Houston Astros, and GM of the Milwaukee Brewers. In September 2015, he took over from former GM Doug Melvin and put his skills to use. He resigned after the 2022 season.
In January 2018, he made a surprising move by acquiring outfielder Christian Elrich (31), the leading hitter of the Miami Marlins, in a 1-4 trade. Elrich won the National League MVP award the year after being recruited. After the Elrich trade, a five-year, $80 million long-term contract was signed with outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who played a key role in the Kansas City Royals’ World Series victory, in the free agent market.
It was unexpected to reinforce two outfielders at almost the same time and invest a huge amount of money in small market Milwaukee. Elić will remain on the team with a 9-year, $215 million contract in March 2020.
Stearns advanced to the postseason for the fourth consecutive year during his tenure in Milwaukee. They won the district championship twice. This is the first feat in the club’s history. From the 2016 to 2022 seasons, Milwaukee’s team salary has never been higher than 17th. In the first year and 2017, it ranked last in MLB. It was Stearns who played baseball with high cost-effectiveness relative to investment.
However, Stearns, who had a brilliant mind, made the mistake of falling for his own trick. At the deadline of August 1, 2022, closer Josh Hader (29) was traded 1 to 4 to the San Diego Padres. The fans were in an uproar, and not only the players but also the club staff were shaken.
Milwaukee was leading the NL Central on August 1. They were ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals by 3.0 games. It was never a seller to trade Hader, the core of the bullpen. Afterwards, Milwaukee began to collapse, losing the lead to St. Louis and falling behind by 7.0 games, failing to even advance to the wild card. At the time, Stearns sent an email to employees arguing that the Hader trade was justified.
After the season, in the aftermath of being eliminated from the postseason, Stearns stepped down from his position as President and GM of Baseball Division. When rumors of a transfer to the New York Mets arose, he emphasized that he was not moving to another team. His contract also runs until 2023. Due to fans’ complaints, a period of self-reflection was necessary. He was signed by the Mets almost a season later.
The challenge now is whether the big market New York Mets can show off their abilities like the small market Milwaukee Brewers. Stearns has great teachers. 안전놀이터 They are Andrew Friedman (46) of the LA Dodgers and Haim Broome (40) of the Boston Red Sox. Both of them came from the small market Tampa Bay Rays and proved their skills by being promoted to baseball team presidents of the big market Dodgers and Red Sox.
The focus of big market clubs is on drafting quality players (MLB draft and amateur) and developing farm teams. Friedman did not sacrifice prospects as much as possible while acquiring the necessary players during trades. Despite injuries to existing players every year, the team’s ability to advance to the postseason for 11 consecutive years was due to the production of promising players.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is one of the richest owners in MLB. Spending money is not a big problem. However, since MLB cannot win a championship through free agency, the farm team is more important than anything else. Stearns’ success depends on this.