David Stearns

{{for-multi|the American basketball executive|David Stern|other people|David Stern (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

| image =

| image_size =

| caption = Stearns in 2024

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|2|18}}

| birth_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S.

| team = New York Mets

| position = President of Baseball Operations

| teams = * Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|2011}}–{{mlby|2012}})

Houston Astros ({{mlby|2013}}–{{mlby|2015}})
Milwaukee Brewers ({{mlby|2015}}–{{mlby|2023}})
New York Mets ({{mlby|2024}}–present)

| awards =

}}

David Stearns (born February 18, 1985) is an American baseball executive who serves as the president of baseball operations for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served in the same role for the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the assistant general manager of MLB's Houston Astros, worked for the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, the Arizona Fall League, and in the baseball operations departments for the Cleveland Indians and the Mets.

Early life

Stearns was born and raised on the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York City, and is Jewish.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/david-stearns-mets-president-of-baseball-operations|title=Mets hire Stearns as president of baseball ops|website=MLB.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/09/mets-hire-david-stearns-president-baseball-operations.html|title=Mets Reach Agreement To Hire David Stearns As President Of Baseball Operations|date=September 12, 2023|website=MLB Trade Rumors}}{{Cite web|url=https://jewishpostandnews.ca/rss/the-jewish-sport-report-mark-cuban-and-miriam-adelson-make-a-dallas-mavericks-swap/|title=The Jewish Sport Report: Mark Cuban and Miriam Adelson make a Dallas Mavericks swap|website=jewishpostandnews.ca}}{{Cite web |title=Non-playing personnel |url=https://jewishbaseballmuseum.com/player/non-playing-personnel/ |website=jewishbaseballmuseum.com}} He attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/09/12/mets-david-stearns-steve-cohen-new-era/|title=Abbey Mastracco: Steve Cohen and the Mets finally have their man in David Stearns|website=New York Daily News |date=September 12, 2023}} He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in political science{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/baseball-s-new-executives-are-ivy-leaguers-1.5383389|title=Baseball's new executives are Ivy Leaguers|first=David|last=Lennon|work=Newsday|date=June 1, 2013|access-date=September 21, 2015}} in 2007. While he attended Harvard, he was a sports writer for The Harvard Crimson{{Cite web |title=David H. Stearns | Writer Page |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/writer/256236/David_H._Stearns/ |website=The Harvard Crimson}} and interned with the Pittsburgh Pirates.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/5/23/harvard-baseball-david-stearns-2007-crimson-indians/?page=single|title=Harvard Grad Thrives in Front-Office Role| first=Catherine E.|last=Coppinger|publisher=The Harvard Crimson|date=May 23, 2012|access-date=September 21, 2015}}

Professional career

=Early career=

After graduating from Harvard, Stearns worked for the baseball operations departments for the New York Mets and the Arizona Fall League.{{cite web|url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/40326210/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923004546/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/40326210/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2015|title=New assistant GM brings impressive pedigree to job|publisher=Major League Baseball|access-date=September 21, 2015}} He joined the MLB Central Office in 2008, where he worked on the negotiating team for MLB's collective bargaining agreement.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/milwaukee-brewers-hire-david-stearns-for-gm-c150715602|title=Milwaukee Brewers hire David Stearns for GM|publisher=Major League Baseball|access-date=September 21, 2015|archive-date=August 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807003530/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/150715602/milwaukee-brewers-hire-david-stearns-for-gm/|url-status=live}} He spent his last 13 months in the central office as manager of labor relations, where he aided teams going through the process of salary arbitration.

=Cleveland Indians=

In December 2011, the Cleveland Indians hired Stearns and Derek Falvey as their co-directors of baseball operations, with Stearns focusing on player contracts, data analysis, and strategy, and Falvey working on player acquisitions.{{cite web|url=http://m.mlb.com/news/article/26174134/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923004613/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/26174134/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 23, 2015|title=Derek Falvey and David Stearns hired as director of baseball operations for the Indians|publisher=Major League Baseball|access-date=September 21, 2015}}

=Houston Astros=

In November 2012, the Houston Astros, who had lost over 100 games in both of the past two seasons, hired Stearns as assistant general manager, second only to Jeff Luhnow, the general manager. While many organizations have multiple assistant general managers, the Astros employed only Stearns in the role.{{cite web|url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2015/09/20/astros-assistant-gm-may-be-headed-to-brewers/|title=Astros assistant GM David Stearns headed to Brewers|first=Evan |last=Drellich|work=Houston Chronicle|date=September 20, 2015|access-date=September 22, 2015}}

When talking about August 2015, Luhnow said of his staff: “There’s several people in our organization that have GM potential, and David’s one of them."{{cite web|url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2015/08/25/david-stearns-stock-grows-with-astros-success/|title=David Stearns' stock grows with Astros success|first=Evan|last=Drellich|work=Houston Chronicle|date=August 25, 2015|access-date=October 16, 2015}} At that time, the Milwaukee Brewers began searching for a new general manager, prioritizing youth and experience with data analytics, which the Astros used in their rebuild.

=Milwaukee Brewers=

On September 21, 2015, the Milwaukee Brewers named Stearns their next general manager, succeeding the retiring Doug Melvin, who they announced would remain with the team in an advisory role.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/milwaukee-brewers-hire-david-stearns-for-gm-c150715602|title=Brewers pick Astros' Stearns to be GM|last=McCalvy|first=Adam|publisher=Major League Baseball|date=September 21, 2015}} At thirty years of age, he became the youngest general manager in MLB, one of the youngest in history, and was one year younger than the Brewers' Ryan Braun.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/13706564/milwaukee-brewers-tap-david-stearns-30-new-gm-source-says|title=Brewers make Astros' David Stearns, 30, MLB's youngest current GM|first=Jerry|last=Crasnick|author-link=Jerry Crasnick|publisher=ESPN|date=September 21, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015}}{{#tag:ref|Though Stearns became the youngest active general manager at the time, Theo Epstein and Jon Daniels both became general managers at the age of 28.|group=lower-alpha}} At his introductory press conference, Stearns endorsed Craig Counsell as the Brewers' manager.{{cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/brewers-introduce-new-gm-b99580909z1-328526411.html|title=Brewers introduce David Stearns as new GM|first=Tom|last=Haudricourt|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=September 21, 2015|access-date=September 21, 2015}}

Stearns fired five of the Brewers' seven coaches,{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com/wisconsin/story/milwaukee-brewers-gm-david-stearns-retains-two-coaches-lets-go-of-remaining-five-100515|title=Brewers GM Stearns retains two coaches, lets go of remaining five|agency=Associated Press|work=Fox Sports|date=October 5, 2015|access-date=October 5, 2015}} and began to restructure the front office by reassigning Gord Ash, the assistant general manager, and Reid Nichols, the farm director within the organization,{{cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/reid-nichols-let-go-gord-ash-removed-from-role-as-brewers-restructure-b99596254z1-332576692.html|title=Reid Nichols let go, Gord Ash removed from role as Brewers restructure|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|first=Tom|last=Haudricourt|date=October 13, 2015|access-date=October 14, 2015}} and hiring Matt Arnold from the Tampa Bay Rays as assistant general manager.{{cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/332730391.html|title=Brewers name Tampa Bay's Matt Arnold as assistant GM|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|first=Tom|last=Haudricourt|date=October 14, 2015|access-date=October 14, 2015}} During his first offseason as general manager, Stearns replaced half of the members of the Brewers' 40-man roster.{{cite web|url=http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/plenty-of-new-faces-as-brewers-open-spring-training-after-active-winter-b99672747z1-369358671.html|title=Plenty of new faces as Brewers open spring training after active winter|first=Tom|last=Haudricourt|work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=February 18, 2016|access-date=February 19, 2016}} His first transactions included trading Jonathan Lucroy and acquiring Travis Shaw, Eric Thames, and Anthony Swarzak.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/brewers-gm-david-stearns-proving-shrewd/c-245657756|title = Stearns' deals pay off even as GM stacks talent| website=MLB.com }}

In 2018, Stearns signed free agents Lorenzo Cain and Jhoulys Chacin, and executed the trade for Christian Yelich, who won the National League MVP in his first season as a Brewer. The Brewers were in second place in the NL Central by the MLB trade deadline, and he orchestrated moves to acquire Mike Moustakas, Curtis Granderson, Gio Gonzalez, and Jonathan Schoop. These trades bolstered the roster and put the Brewers in a position to make the playoffs. They won the division after defeating the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 National League Central tie-breaker game and beat the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 National League Division Series in three games. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 National League Championship Series in seven games. Yelich was named the 2018 NL MVP after the season. Stearns finished second in the MLB Executive of the Year voting but was the highest-voted NL executive.{{Cite web |last=Feinsand |first=Mark |date=November 6, 2018 |title=Beane earns inaugural Executive of Year Award |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/billy-beane-named-2018-mlb-executive-of-year-c300300016 |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

In January 2019, the Brewers signed Stearns to a contract extension and promoted him to president of baseball operations and general manager.{{Cite web|url=https://fox6now.com/2019/01/23/brewers-announce-promotions-extensions-for-stearns-schlesinger/|title = Brewers announce promotions, extensions for Stearns, Schlesinger|date = January 23, 2019}} After the 2020 season, the Brewers promoted Matt Arnold to general manager, with Stearns remaining president of baseball operations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/mlb/brewers/2020/11/19/brewers-promote-assistant-general-manager-matt-arnold-gm/3778109001/|title=Brewers promote Matt Arnold to general manager, dividing titles atop baseball operation|first=Tom|last=Haudricourt|website=Journal Sentinel}}

On October 27, 2022, the Brewers announced Stearns was stepping down as president of baseball operations and moving into an advisory role with ownership.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34889292/david-stearns-steps-brewers-president-baseball-ops|title=Stearns drops Brewers role, denies job hunting|date=October 27, 2022|website=ESPN.com}} General Manager Matt Arnold took over baseball operations duties. The move came after a disappointing Brewers season in which the club missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. On August 1, 2022, the team traded star closer Josh Hader one day before the trade deadline. At the time, Milwaukee sat in first place in the NL Central but would finish the season seven games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/standings|title=2022 MLB Standings|website=ESPN}} After they were eliminated from playoff contention on October 3, many pointed to the Hader trade as the turning point in the season. Stearns himself hinted at regretting the move in his season-ending press conference, admitting, "It had a more pronounced impact than I thought it would at the time, and the surrounding moves didn't adequately fortify the team in Josh's absence."{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/mlb-sports-milwaukee-san-diego-padres-brewers-0bc4a05b897f71e8cb7be04768a2c37e|title=Brewers' Stearns: Hader trade hurt team more than expected|date=October 11, 2022|website=AP NEWS}}

Stearns is generally considered to have presided over one of the most successful stretches in Brewers history, guiding the organization to four consecutive playoff appearances from 2018–2021, and earned the reputation as one of the most respected executives in MLB. Following his resignation, Stearns was regularly connected to president positions with the New York Mets and Houston Astros.{{Cite web |title=Brewers' Stearns: 'I'm not going anywhere' |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/david-stearns-on-speculation-advisory-role |access-date=2023-01-06 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} Stearns remained under contract with the Brewers through the 2023 season.

=New York Mets=

After the New York Mets faced the Philadelphia Phillies in the final game of the 2023 season on October 1, 2023, team owner Steve Cohen acknowledged that the Mets had hired Stearns as president of baseball operations. He was introduced the following day.{{Cite tweet|user=AnthonyDiComo|number=1708603704662806608|title=Steve Cohen says the choice of new manager will be up to David Stearns -- "a change in direction." Asked if Stearns already has someone in mind or will undergo an exhaustive search, Cohen says that will also be up to Stearns.|last=DiComo|first=Anthony|date=1 October 2023}}

Stearns planned for the 2024 season to simply be a transitional one for the Mets. However, despite a 24–35 start, the team significantly improved, with Stearns receiving a lot of credit, including endorsing Mark Vientos as the starting third baseman, who finished with 27 home runs and 71 RBIs, and promoting Jose Iglesias to the majors, who had a .337 batting average. During the offseason and regular season, Stearns was noted for making low-risk moves and not pursuing expensive free agents; however, the cheaper free agents they acquired were crucial in the Mets' turnaround. [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/david-stearns-the-man-behind-the-new-york-mets-miracle.html The Man Behind the Mets Miracle], New York Magazine, October 1, 2024 The Mets finished with a record of 89–73, clinching a spot in the 2024 MLB postseason. They then advanced to the 2024 National League Division Series after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 2–1 in the 2024 National League Wild Card Series,[https://sny.tv/articles/mets-embrace-wild-card-series-brewers-braves-job-not-done Mets embrace Wild Card Series at Brewers as quick turnaround follows Braves thriller: 'The job's not done'], SNY, September 30, 2024 and to the 2024 National League Championship Series after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 3–1 in the Division Series.[https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/news/mets-beat-phillies-advance-nlcs/ Lindor's grand slam sends Mets into NLCS with win over Phillies in Game 4 of NLDS], CBS News, October 8, 2024

Personal life

Stearns is married to Whitney Ann Lee.{{cite web|url=http://fox6now.com/2015/09/21/milwaukee-brewers-tab-astros-assistant-david-stearns-general-manager/|title=Milwaukee Brewers tab Astros assistant David Stearns general manager|date=September 21, 2015|publisher=FOX6Now.com|access-date=September 21, 2015}}