Mets' David Stearns reacts to Craig Counsell choosing Cubs

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns didn't expect former Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell would reject the Mets to join the Chicago Cubs this offseason. 

"I didn’t see that coming," Stearns said about Counsell's choice while speaking with reporters on Tuesday, per John Flanigan of SNY. "Craig can play things really close to the vest, and in this case, clearly he kept things very close to the vest because none of us had any idea of where this was headed." 

As noted by SNY's Danny Abriano, Stearns inherited Counsell as manager when the former was hired by the Brewers to be their general manager in September 2015. Counsell ultimately worked under Stearns until the executive shifted to an advisory role last fall, and the skipper was routinely linked with the Mets this offseason due to his relationship with Stearns. 

However, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Monday that Counsell received a five-year, $40M contract to replace David Ross with the Cubs. The Mets reacted by hiring New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their new manager.

"We were running a robust process throughout, so we were having conversations with many candidates," Stearns explained. "As last week went along and it became clear that Craig was thinking elsewhere, that formed our process and how we moved moving forward." 

Counsell guided the Brewers to the playoffs five times in the past six years and holds the franchise record for most wins earned as a manager. While he seemingly left the Mets having to settle for Mendoza, Stearns suggested he understands why Counsell made a business decision. 

"I love Craig, we’re very good friends and we’re going to be close for a long time," Stearns added during his comments. "Throughout this process what I’ve told Craig is that he needs to make the best choice for himself and his family for what really gets him going. Ultimately he’s a really smart guy, he factored in all the information and he made the right decision for himself."