David Stearns distances himself from Brewers World Series win with focus on using Mets advantages

LAS VEGAS — As someone who spent seven seasons atop the Brewers front office, David Stearns wasn’t totally disconnected as the franchise celebrated its first World Series title two weeks ago. “I’m just really happy for that group,” the Mets president of baseball operations said Wednesday at the general managers meetings.“I know a lot of those folks over there.

They have worked incredibly hard, so it’s incredibly well deserved.”  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.Stearns, who stepped aside from running the Brewers after the 2022 season to serve as a team consultant for one year before jumping to the Mets, was careful to distance himself from his former club when asked if he felt any measure of pride in helping develop part of Milwaukee’s core. He repeated that he was happy for the Brewers, beginning with the team’s ownership. Were there takeaways from the Brewers’ success that might translate as he attempts to win with the Mets? “Each situation is unique, and when you see organizations operate on a high level, you always try to learn something from them,” Stearns said.

“We also recognize we’re in a different place, different market and need to act differently.” Most notably, the Brewers won the World Series with a $146 million payroll — less than half of what the Mets spent last season on salaries. And whereas a rebuilding season or two might be tolerated in the smallest media market for a major league team, it doesn’t work in New York under an owner in Steve Cohen with a stated goal of competing for a championship each season. “I think one of the benefits we have is we have the entirety of the player universe and the whole world available to us,” Stearns said.“That is a benefit and it’s also different than what some other markets have, including Milwaukee.” But that hardly guarantees the right pieces will be...