Finally, details of Brewers exec David Stearns' availability to Mets revealed

Last fall, when the Mets were interested in Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, they were operating under the assumption that Stearns would become available after the 2022 season at the latest.

In October, SNY reported that the Brewers held a vesting option on Stearns for 2023. But neither I nor the Mets knew the terms of this option.

Now, via two league sources, one of whom has direct knowledge of Stearns’ contract, we have obtained that information. The upshot is a potential game-changer for the future of the Mets front office.

Here it is: If Milwaukee wins the National League pennant in 2022, Stearns will become a free agent after the season. If Milwaukee does not advance to the World Series, Stearns will remain under contract to the Brewers through the 2023 season.

Stearns, a New York native who grew up a Mets fan, continues to intrigue the Mets from afar, according to multiple team and league sources.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is said to be very happy with new general manager Billy Eppler. But Eppler’s friends in the industry say that he would not necessarily mind working with Stearns, a longtime friend.

Now, odds are that Stearns will remain unavailable for two more seasons.

The Brewers are an excellent team and certainly could win the pennant. But as with any team in any year, the World Series can hardly be considered a probable outcome (if the Mets win the pennant, by the way, Cohen might no longer feel the need to hire a president of baseball operations).

The Mets' interest in Stearns is qualified by the fact that Cohen has never spoken to Stearns about the position, because Milwaukee has denied him permission to interview Stearns in two consecutive offseasons. It’s possible that the two will meet one day and determine that they do not fit, as happened with Cohen and Theo Epstein last October.

But as of now, the interest continues.

If the Mets find themselves wanting Stearns again this fall, they’ll now face longer odds than they previously realized.

Stearns did not respond to a message seeking comment. Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio declined comment.