Mets' David Stearns opens up about Craig Counsell's decision to sign with the Cubs: "He kept things very close to the vest"

New President of Baseball Operations of the New York Mets, David Stearns, admits that he was blindsided by Craig Counsell's shocking decision to join the Chicago Cubs. The former Milwaukee manager surprised the world of MLB with his sudden move to the Cubs just days after entering free agency. Counsell and Stearns have a history of working together in the Brewers and it was no secret that the manager was the first choice to take the role for the Mets.

Stearns has been an MLB executive for more than a decade now. While he started with the Mets as an executive in 2008, he was named co-director of baseball operations for the Cleveland Indians. He went on to become the general manager of the Brewers in 2015 and spent the majority of his career there before joining the Mets at the end of 2023.

In the same year that Stearns joined the Brewers, Counsell was named their manager and both of them worked closely for almost a decade. Thus, ever since the Mets fired Buck Showalter at the end of the season, Counsell was one of the top names expected to replace him. Hence, the manager's decision to join the Cubs came as a surprise to baseball fans as well as to Stearns, who said:

"I didn't see that coming. Craig can play things really close to the vest, and in this case, clearly he kept things very close to the vest because none of us had any idea of where this was headed.”

David Stearns reassures fans that the Mets won't shy away from spending on potential free agents

New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns spoke to reporters Tuesday after GM Meetings and admitted that Craig Counsell's move to the Chicago Cubs came as a surprise to him.

Stearns also answered several other questions from reporters, saying that they have no intention to replace general manager Billy Eppler at the moment as they already have too much on their plate. However, he went on to assure fans that the front office would pursue any potential free agent opportunities over the offseason. However, it must be noted that the Mets' spending power in the MLB has not been an issue in recent years but rather their returns on the field need improvement.