Key Takeaways
- • Steve Cohen, Mets owner, publicly stated the team is not pursuing David Stearns following Stearns' departure from the Milwaukee Brewers on October 27, 2022, effectively closing the door on speculation about a management change.
- • General Manager Billy Eppler remains "in charge" of Mets baseball operations, with Cohen emphasizing the organization is "focused on other things right now" rather than a Stearns pursuit.
- • The Mets' 101-win regular season performance has insulated Eppler from replacement risk, despite the team's early playoff exit in the Wild Card Series, signaling organizational stability at the GM level.
- • The club continues searching for a business-oriented team president while keeping baseball operations under Eppler's control, a structural approach that leaves theoretical room for future front office changes but not in the immediate term.
- • Market speculation linking Stearns and the Mets is likely to persist until Stearns secures employment elsewhere, though internal Mets sources have characterized the Cohen-Stearns connection as "overstated" over the past year.
Summary
Steve Cohen decisively deflated speculation surrounding a potential managerial reshuffle at the New York Mets on October 28, 2022, telling SNY's Andy Martino that the organization is not pursuing David Stearns. The statement comes one day after Stearns stepped down as Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations, triggering immediate market chatter about his possible relocation to New York, where he has been a long-standing target.
The Mets had previously attempted to recruit Stearns twice in recent years, with the Brewers rejecting both requests from Cohen to speak with their executive about front office opportunities. However, Cohen's public comments signal a shift in strategic priorities. He emphasized that current General Manager Billy Eppler is firmly positioned as the team's baseball operations leader and that management attention is directed elsewhere.
Eppler's job security appears strengthened by the Mets' regular season accomplishment—a 101-win campaign that evidently outweighs disappointment from the Wild Card Series exit. The organizational structure distinguishes between baseball operations (Eppler's domain) and a separate business-focused team president role, which remains unfilled. This compartmentalization allows the front office to retain continuity without elevating Eppler to a "president of baseball operations" title, a distinction that could theoretically accommodate a senior hire above him.
Despite Cohen's definitive public stance, SNY's Andy Martino reports that internal Mets personnel have characterized the Cohen-Stearns linkage as exaggerated, and suggests future interviews between the two remain possible once Stearns secures employment elsewhere or the Mets completes its presidential search. Speculation is unlikely to fully dissipate until organizational changes elsewhere formalize Stearns' next position or the Mets completes its own front office staffing.
The Mets had previously attempted to recruit Stearns twice in recent years, with the Brewers rejecting both requests from Cohen to speak with their executive about front office opportunities. However, Cohen's public comments signal a shift in strategic priorities. He emphasized that current General Manager Billy Eppler is firmly positioned as the team's baseball operations leader and that management attention is directed elsewhere.
Eppler's job security appears strengthened by the Mets' regular season accomplishment—a 101-win campaign that evidently outweighs disappointment from the Wild Card Series exit. The organizational structure distinguishes between baseball operations (Eppler's domain) and a separate business-focused team president role, which remains unfilled. This compartmentalization allows the front office to retain continuity without elevating Eppler to a "president of baseball operations" title, a distinction that could theoretically accommodate a senior hire above him.
Despite Cohen's definitive public stance, SNY's Andy Martino reports that internal Mets personnel have characterized the Cohen-Stearns linkage as exaggerated, and suggests future interviews between the two remain possible once Stearns secures employment elsewhere or the Mets completes its presidential search. Speculation is unlikely to fully dissipate until organizational changes elsewhere formalize Stearns' next position or the Mets completes its own front office staffing.
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