The Mets are seeking permission to speak with Milwaukee Brewers GM Matt Arnold for their top baseball job, according to SNY's Andy Martino.
Though they haven't yet received it, that doesn't mean it could be a dead end, with Martino adding that they haven't been denied permission to speak with him, either.
Let's take a look at the 42-year-old Arnold and what he would bring to the Mets if he's hired...
Arnold joined the Brewers in 2015, serving as their vice president and assistant GM. The 2021 campaign marked his sixth season with Milwaukee and his third as senior vice president. He was named GM in November 2020.
Here's what he said back in 2019 about what he does on a daily basis compared to David Stearns, who is now their president of baseball operations:
“I wear a lot of different hats," he explained to MLB Network's Heidi Watney. "Every day it’s being involved with every different department. It’s helping organize and work with every director that we have. I’ve helped functionally oversee every department and make sure things are running smoothly and trust our directors to do a great job.”
Before finding his way to the Brewers, Arnold went through numerous organizations around MLB. But spending nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays is what made him a popular candidate for the Brew Crew.
During his time down south, Arnold was involved in many different things the Rays were doing like biomechanics, human movement analysis, and more -- these advancements are part of the reason why Tampa has flourished recently.
But even more important, Arnold helped executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and president of baseball operations Matt Silverman with various player contracts, acquisitions, and more.
Wearing many hats is something he did well before reaching Milwaukee. And the Rays' seal of approval these days goes a long way.
Arnold graduated from the University of California-Santa Barbara with a degree in economics, but he made a name for himself in scouting.
During his time with the Cincinnati Reds (2003-06), Arnold served as assistant director of professional scouting, where he was tasked with financial planning and arbitration -- the economics degree kicks in there -- while also dealing with amateur and professional scouting duties.
When he moved on to the Rays, he was promoted to director of pro scouting in 2009 and then director of player personnel in June of 2015. He got his job with the Brewers just four months later.
The infamous "Wade Miley Rule" came after the 2018 NLCS between the Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers, when manager Craig Counsell pulled Miley, the Game 5 starter, after just five pitches. Counsell wanted to exploit the matchups early in Dave Roberts' Dodgers lineup and then set him up for a Game 6 start.
Unfortunately for the Brewers and teams looking to do the same, MLB said no and forced pitchers to face a minimum of three batters no matter what.
Arnold was part of these discussions along with Counsell and Stearns, and it shows what he's willing to do with his team to gain a competitive advantage.
“It’s something we try to look at the game a little bit differently every day and we try to find competitive advantages. Where those exist, we’re going to try to exploit those," Arnold said.
