QUEENS — Perhaps the reason why Mets owner Steve Cohen is being so patient with manager Buck Showalter and general manager Billy Eppler despite falling woefully short of preseason expectations is the message it will send to those who have yet to join the franchise’s ranks.
The 67-year-old billionaire owner is still searching for a president of baseball operations (PBO) to slot in over the GM — a three-year process that has still been fruitless so far. Possessing a quick trigger finger and creating high turnover within the organization obviously doesn’t send the right message to top PBO candidates looking for stability
“If you want to attract good people to this organization, the worst thing you can do is be impulsive… I’ve been clear from Day 1 that I’m still looking for a president of baseball ops,” Cohen said. “Billy [Eppler] knows. I’ve had that conversation with him. He’s supportive. My view is it’s a very complex job and there’s a lot to do and it’s a lot on one person.”
The Mets have long been linked to former Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, who stepped down in the fall of 2022 to take a step back and serve in an advisory role after dealing with burnout. Cohen requested an interview with him two years ago but was denied by the NL Central side.
He’s under contract through the 2023 season and is expected to be a free agent during the winter. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on June 11 that the Mets are expected to bring him on as PBO then — though Cohen obviously made no mention of him.
“I don’t want a rookie doing this,” Cohen said. “We’ve got a solid infrastructure in place, solid management. We want to bring ins somebody that’s complimentary. Someone that can come into this organization and hit the ground running and not create problems, conflicts.”
Stearns certainly has the track record to do just that despite being 38 years old. The Manhattan native grew up a Mets fan, became the Brewers’ general manager at just 30 years old, and was promoted to PBO just four years later.
The Brewers, who had made the playoffs just four times in their first 48 years of existence from 1969-2017, clinched postseason berths in each of Stearns’ first four seasons as PBO — a commendable feat for a small-market club. Resources in Queens would be exponentially higher for Stearns than they were in Milwaukee, which would give the young executive even more freedom to build a sustainable National League juggernaut.
Perhaps that’s why Cohen and the Mets haven’t been so quick to fill the position.
“If you want to hire great talent, they just don’t show up,” Cohen said. “I do not want to make a mistake. I can’t tell you if it’s going to be this year, I don’t know if it’s going to be next year. I don’t know. But at some point, it’s going to happen.
“The biggest mistake you can make is to hire somebody and set the organization back five years, 10 years. I’ve been waiting and at some point, we’ll hire somebody.”
Whether that wait is for Stearns remains to be seen, but it certainly feels that way at this point.
