Minaya reflects on Stearns' path from intern to exec

NEW YORK -- David Stearns, the Mets’ first president of baseball operations, is now in his second stint with the club. In 2008, he worked for the organization as an intern.

Stearns, who was 23 years old, worked for then-general manager Omar Minaya. Stearns was so good at his job in the scouting department that he became part of Minaya’s inner circle.

“As a general manager, besides looking for talented players, I also enjoyed looking at future talent for the front office,” Minaya said via telephone. “I saw something special with him. What I saw was a person who had a good way about him. He presented himself well and was a good listener. He wanted to learn more and was humble.”

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It was the early days of analytics in 2008, but according to Minaya, Stearns wanted to see how players were scouted through the eye test. Stearns would often hang out with people such as Sandy Johnson, who was New York’s vice president of scouting, and Rudy Terrasas, who was the head of amateur scouting. The reports Minaya received back indicated that Stearns was a talent in the making.

“That year, we were contending, so we had advance scout meetings. I had David around the veteran scouts at that age,” Minaya recalled. “I purposely put him in that space. I wanted to make sure he spent time around them [to] see that side of the game. That was a great learning experience for him.”

After Stearns’ time with the Mets, Minaya helped him get a job with Major League Baseball as the manager of labor relations, where he assisted in the salary arbitration process, handled uniform player contracts and was a member of MLB’s negotiating team for the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Stearns then worked in the front office with the Guardians and Astros before spending eight years with the Brewers, including leading Milwaukee’s baseball operations department from 2016-22, before spending this past season as an advisor to owner Mark Attanasio and general manager Matt Arnold. Under Stearns’ leadership, the Brewers earned four straight postseason berths from 2018-21, winning the National League Central in '18 and '21.

“David is not only an analytics guy, “ Minaya said. “What impressed me with him in Milwaukee was just his ability to be balanced. He came from Houston. He then came to a well-rounded organization. He didn’t tear it up. They did a great job with pitching. It's a pitching-based organization. He also has the ability to get some key pieces through trades, like the one with the Marlins to get Christian Yelich. He always had the ability to get a big piece, but he has also done a great job with the secondary players.”

Fifteen years after his first stint with the Mets, Stearns calls Minaya a great friend and a mentor.

“He is one of those guys where if I have a question about the industry or need advice, Omar is someone I call,” Stearns said. “What I appreciate about Omar is he has always been there selflessly looking out for what he thinks is best for me. He has given me, I think, really good advice over the years, as much in life as in baseball. I appreciate him a great deal.”

What’s the best advice Minaya ever gave Stearns over the years? Have fun.

“Omar sat here [as the GM] as well,” Stearns said. “A kid who grew up a huge Mets fan, he got a chance to run the organization. Omar told me to have fun and recognize what this job is.”

Minaya believes Stearns will do well as the head of baseball operations. Stearns is connected to Mets history and the New York experience. In addition to working as an intern, Stearns grew up as a die-hard Mets fan.

“He knows there are going to be some challenges, because it’s New York,” Minaya said. “His leadership is going to be one of communication. … He is going to be a good listener. He has lived in New York. This is a dream job for him. So when you have your dream job, he is going to give you 100 percent. It’s important to understand the Mets' fan base, and he will.”