4 takeaways from new Mets president David Stearns: What he's saying and what he didn't say

NEW YORK — The Mets now have a trio of lifelong fans leading the charge toward a third World Series title.

As David Stearns took the reins as the team's first president of baseball operations on Monday afternoon, he reminisced about his roots in the game of baseball. It began along the baselines on Saturdays at Shea Stadium as a kid and ultimately sneaking into the ballpark to catch as many games as possible.

Now, the 38-year-old baseball executive, who grew up in Manhattan and interned with the Mets in 2008, joins forces with Steve and Alex Cohen to try and fill the void of championship emptiness over the past 36 years.

"The dream is to win a World Series. This is a step towards that," Stearns said. "I feel very fortunate and privileged to be here right now.

"I understand this doesn't happen, right? You don't grow up a rabid fan of a team and then one day get to stand here at a press conference and talk about leading that team. I understand this doesn't happen and so the fact that it has happened to me I recognize how incredible that is"

After eight seasons serving in the front office of the Brewers, including three seasons as general manager and four seasons as president of baseball operations, Stearns built up a reputation as a top baseball mind. Now, he's looking forward to trying and build a strong organization with sustainable championship aspirations.

How it came together

When Stearns stepped down as Brewers president of baseball operations and into an advisory role in 2022, it was a moment of reflection.

He called the longstanding rumors of joining the Mets "uncomfortable" because he loved Milwaukee. It would only take a special opportunity to get him back leading the front office. Then, Cohen called.

They met for the first time in August, about three more times for between three and six hours and talked on the phone about a dozen times. During dinner at an undisclosed location, it clicked that their philosophies aligned.

"I think just spending time with him got me comfortable," Stearns said. "I meant what I said (in the press conference), he wants to win and Alex wants to win. And I think equally important I believe they understand what this franchise can and should mean to this city and the community and the good that it can do. That's impactful to me."

Cohen said there were no serious discussions with any other candidates for the position.

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The manager search

As Stearns takes over the baseball operations department, he wants to be able to grow with the new manager and ensure they align philosophically. That fresh start led to Buck Showalter's exit at the end of this season.

Stearns said he does not intend to rush the managerial search and would consider all candidates.

"We are going to cast a wide net. We're going to have a real process," Stearns said. "We're going to at some point interview candidates of varying backgrounds and I imagine candidates who have both been major league managers before and those who have not, so the point here is finding the right person we believe can grow with the organization and hopefully be here for a long time."

The Mets new president of baseball operations would not discuss Craig Counsell, specifically. Counsell has spent the last nine seasons as Brewers manager under Stearns for the majority of those season. The Brewers begin their playoff push on Tuesday. Brewers bench coach Pat Murphy is another known commodity for Stearns.

Stearns said he would like the next manager to be involved in helping fill the coaching staff.

"I view the managerial position as one of true partnership, someone who is working side by side with me and the rest of our baseball ops group," Stearns said. "The manager has so many responsibilities these days, it is a big job, but first and foremost is the ability to manage people, manage personalities and create and facilitate organizational culture where people enjoy coming to work and work hard."

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Teaming up with Billy Eppler

Despite the dismissal of Showalter, Eppler, who was hired as Mets general manager in 2021, remains in his position.

"It’s my goal to build up the management talent in this organization," Cohen said. "Baseball operations is pretty complicated. There's a lot of moving parts and building a strong management team is paramount to me. And so I viewed it as one and one equals three."

Stearns said he has a relationship going back several years with Eppler as competitors, talking through transactions and various MLB events. The delegation of duties between the two and personnel decisions has yet to be outlined.

"I think it's gonna take us, frankly, like weeks and months, not only with Billy but with the entire front office, to truly understand what that breakdown of responsibilities will be where we can all use our best skillsets to help the organization," Stearns said. "We’ll have a better understanding of exactly how that works, probably into the new year."

Pete Alonso

Despite questions on building a farm system and pitching staff, the major looming question is Pete Alonso's future with the Mets.

Alonso, who was drafted by the team in 2016 and has three All-Star selections in his five MLB seasons, has one final year of arbitration eligibility before becoming a unrestricted free agent.

"Pete is a great player. He is also good in the clubhouse and he is also homegrown. All of that matters," Stearns said. "I know over the summer there was some trade speculation and I'll just say, I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year. Pete’s an important member of this team. He's an important member of this organization and I think we're really fortunate to have him."

That does not necessarily address Alonso's future moving forward and whether the team has plans to sign him to an extension before the start of the 2024 season.

"I think Pete's demonstrated he could handle pressure," Stearns said. "He handled a whole lot of questions this year and had a pretty good and handled them well. I'm not particularly concerned about Pete being distracted or unable to handle questions or pressure."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: David Stearns press conference as NY Mets president: Here's what he said