Astros firing GM gives NY Mets POBO David Stearns competition he didn’t need

What is the difference between a President of Baseball Operations and a General Manager? In baseball, one title managed to squeeze in over top of the other. The New York Mets gave David Stearns the former title upon his hiring. Through almost three seasons, they’ve gone without an actual GM, instead relying on the POBO to make the moves and take the heat.

Early on Monday, the Houston Astros decided they were done with their GM. Dana Brown was fired after nearly four seasons with the job. Houston is undergoing some major leadership changes with Joe Espada parting ways with them after this season, too.

Could either of them be a match for the Mets? Eh. The more likely scenario, as FanSided’s Robert Murray discussed on his podcast, is for the Mets to target an executive from the Milwaukee Brewers’ front office. The same theory is out there for the Astros whose vacancy in the GM role will have them considering those same Brewers front office folk.

The Astros sound like big competition for the Mets this offseason when it comes to hiring a GM

Bob Nightengale was spotted on the same hill, suggesting the Astros will look at members of the Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, and Tampa Bay Rays to fill the vacancy. Three low-budget clubs who have a knack for making the playoffs, they’re the standard in which the Astros seem to want to operate.

Stearns has made good use of his connection to the Brewers. Trades for certain players and free agent signings along the way too, his seach for a GM oddly seems to be a hunt for discovering the next version of himself. After beginning his career with the Mets, he moved to Cleveland, Houston, Milwaukee, and back to New York.

It hasn’t seemed like there was a great enough effort to find a GM in past offseasons. This year, after a second straight disappointment, it’s one way for Stearns to admit he was wrong. Steve Cohen’s recent interview said Stearns is someone who learns from mistakes. We’ll have a chance to find out if he’s willing to correct them.

Hiring a GM is one way for Stearns to show the fans he realizes there’s a ketchup stain on his shirt collar. Even though he’d, in all likelihood, be hiring a mini-me version of himself, it’s something to embrace. Or so we’ve been told, two heads are better than one.

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