*Photo from AM New York*
Thursday morning saw quite a surprise come out of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns is stepping down from his role, according to an announcement on Thursday by the Brewers.
In a statement, Stearns said that "I know my decision to step down comes somewhat as a surprise and provokes some questions. This is something I’ve been wrestling with for some time. Mark and I have had an open dialogue for years about what I'm seeking for my career, where I am personally and what all of that means for the organization. I think we both knew that at some point this day could come and we wanted to make sure that when it did, the organization was properly positioned with very strong leadership going forward. This is a job that requires complete and total commitment. When I began to hesitate about whether I could make that commitment, I knew it was really time to contemplate a change."
As things currently stand, Stearns is under contract through the 2023 season. For that time, he will move to an advisory role to ownership. Stearns became baseball's youngest GM when he took the job in 2015 and was promoted to president of baseball operations in the 2019 season.
Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said in a statement that "Of course we were interested in extending his contract. He’s one of the brightest executives I’ve met. We had an active dialogue for several weeks, which really was more personal than it was transactional, by a lot. I think he spoke very clearly about what his thought process was. So obviously, we’re supportive of that."
To take Stearns's place, Brewers GM Matt Arnold will be promoted to president of baseball operations. When Stearns became president of baseball operations, Arnold was promoted to senior vice president and GM. Arnold now becomes the 3rd president of baseball operations in Attanasio's tenure.
With Stearns and Craig Counsell in charge, the Brewers made the playoffs 4 times and won two division titles, tying the mark in both categories that the Brewers had in the previous 49 years. But they only won one series in that time, making the NLCS in 2018 before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers missed the playoffs in 2022 and traded away Josh Hader this season.
Stearns said of the transition to Arnold that "One of the reasons I believe now is the right time is because I believe the organization is particularly well positioned to have this transition. Matt is a premier executive. He has declined multiple outside opportunities to remain committed to the Brewers. He is committed to Milwaukee. He has earned this opportunity and I'm very confident the organization is in great hands."
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