Astros 'intrigued' by idea of bringing David Stearns back

Despite winning the 2022 World Series, the Houston Astros have been without a GM since shortly after the last out was recorded. Astros owner Jim Crane made the unpopular decision to not bring James Click back or sign him to a long-term deal. The Astros have operated without a GM this offseason and their search is still ongoing. One interesting name that recently came up was former Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Ken Rosenthal, senior writer at the Athletic, reported this in his latest column. He indicated that the Astros are “intrigued” by the idea of bringing David Stearns back to Houston.  

Prior to arriving in Milwaukee, Stearns was the assistant general manager for the Astros. He arrived in Houston at the conclusion of the 2012 season. At that time, the Astros were coming off of back-to-back seasons in which they lost 100 games. He quickly helped turn around that franchise and they ended up making the postseason by 2015.

In September of 2015, it was announced that Stearns would be coming to Milwaukee in which he quickly rebuilt and restructured the team. By 2017, the Brewers were buyers at the trade deadline. In 2018 they made their first of four consecutive playoff appearances under Stearns. That streak was snapped in 2022 as the Brew Crew came up just short of a wild-card spot.

Upon the conclusion of the 2022 season, Stearns elected to take a step back in the Brewers organization. He handed the keys off to Matt Arnold and has since transitioned into an advisory role. With this move, Stearns indicated that he was looking forward to more family time and not constantly having to be on the clock.

Initially after stepping down, speculations of Stearns joining the Mets or Astros began. The Mets have long been pursuing Stearns and, as mentioned, the Astros have previous ties to him. It’s unknown at this time if Stearns has any interest in returning to a high-stress and time-consuming job or not.

One thing we do know is that Stearns is under contract with the Brewers for the 2023 season. If any team does want to pursue him, they would have to ask permission to interview him first. The Brewers could deny permission if they choose. Should they allow Stearns to interview and he joins a new team in 2023, the Brewers could ask to be compensated.

The Astros being “intrigued” by David Stearns is not news. It is more so interesting that his name is again being mentioned this far into the offseason. Rumors and speculations surrounding Stearns will continue until more concrete information is known or a decision is made.