Mets president David Stearns' return to Milwaukee meaningful in more ways than one
Mets president of baseball operation David Stearns speaks to the media before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on Sept. 20. Credit: Jim McIsaac
MILWAUKEE — David Stearns was a popular man Friday afternoon, the target of a steady stream of well-wishers — Brewers players, executives, coaches, support staff and others — who wanted to welcome him to Milwaukee.
This was his first visit back to the ballpark he called home for seven seasons. Now the Mets’ president of baseball operations, Stearns appeared happy to be here, even as he tried to set aside personal emotion for the sake of the professional task ahead.
Returning was meaningful, sure. But more so, he hoped, for what this weekend might bring for the Mets — clinching a postseason berth.
“It’s fun being back here,” he said. “I’m glad I’m back here when games really matter for us. We’re playing for something that’s really important and we gotta go out and have a good series.”
Another piece of subtext: The Brewers and Mets may well meet in the wild-card round of the playoffs that begins Tuesday. Stearns’ new team could face his old team in his first year after switching organizations.
“From our perspective, it’s focusing on the games right ahead of us,” he said. “We have to win games now to get to next week.”
Pitching plans
The Mets had not revealed starting pitchers for Saturday or Sunday as of Friday evening. Manager Carlos Mendoza said they wanted to wait to see what the standings looked like by the end of the day.
“We have an idea what we’re doing [Saturday]. And the players have an idea,” Mendoza said. “A lot of teams are going TBA now, so we’ll go TBAs, too.”
The Brewers also had not announced starters for the weekend.
The most obvious choice for the Mets would be David Peterson, as pitching Saturday would allow him to return on normal rest for a theoretical Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs Thursday.
Words on weather
Stearns took a diplomatic approach in discussing the double-rainout mess in Atlanta this week as well as the scheduled makeup doubleheader Monday.
“I don’t know what the right thing would’ve been,” he said. “No one wants to play a doubleheader on Monday. [Atlanta] didn’t want that outcome. MLB didn’t want that outcome. Certainly, we didn’t want that outcome.
“It’s easy in retrospect to say that we could’ve done things different to get there. It’s also really tough in the moment to predict exactly what the weather is going to do, and there’s a whole host of considerations that everyone is working through.”
A couple of rules regarding Monday: Neither team would be able to add an extra player for the doubleheader because that isn’t allowed in September, Stearns said. And any player optioned off the roster would have to spend the minimum 10 days (or 15 for pitchers) off the roster, sidelining them for the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“Look, hard or not, if we have to do that, that’s what we’ll do,” Stearns said.
Extra bases
Kodai Senga (triceps tightness) has continued to throw since his aborted rehab start last weekend and is due to progress to facing hitters. The Mets don’t know when, though. “It’s whenever he feels ready for it,” Stearns said . . . The Mets will host a Dominican Winter League game between Aguilas Cibaenas and Tigres del Licey on Nov. 10 at Citi Field. That will be the finale of a three-game “New York Cup” between those clubs, with the first two games being played at Yankee Stadium on Nov. 8-9.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
