Stearns drops Brewers role, denies job hunting
MILWAUKEE — David Stearns is stepping away from his role as the Brewers‘ president of baseball operations, saying Thursday he just needs a break and isn’t thinking about taking a job with any other organization.
Stearns will remain with the Brewers in an advisory role to owner Mark Attanasio. Matt Arnold, who has been the Brewers’ senior vice president and general manager since 2020, takes over the lead role in overseeing baseball operations.
“I’m looking forward to gaining some time that I haven’t really had before,” Stearns said in a news conference. “Looking forward to taking a deep breath. I’m looking forward to spending time with my family, looking forward to spending time with friends. And I’m looking forward to pursuing some other interests. I’m also not going anywhere. I’m going to be here in Milwaukee.”
Stearns’ tenure marked the Brewers’ greatest run of sustained success. He joined the franchise in October 2015 as general manager and was named president of baseball operations before the 2019 season.
The team’s franchise-record string of four straight playoff appearances ended this season when they went 86-76 and finished a game behind the World Series-bound Philadelphia Phillies for the National League’s final wild-card berth.
Milwaukee’s ability to win consistently as a budget-conscious franchise made Stearns an attractive candidate for other organizations. Stearns, who is from New York City, has been mentioned for years as a possibility to join the Mets‘ front office.
The Brewers won 481 games over the past six seasons, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves among NL teams. He orchestrated the 2018 trade with the Miami Marlins that brought Christian Yelich to Milwaukee and helped turn the Brewers into legitimate contenders.
Yelich was the NL MVP in 2018, when the Brewers reached the NL Championship Series and fell a game short of their first World Series appearance since 1982. Yelich finished second in the MVP balloting the following season.
Stearns said his favorite moment was the Brewers’ tiebreaker victory over the Chicago Cubs to determine the 2018 NL Central champion.
“David’s impact on the organization has been transformational,” Attanasio said in a statement. “He has created a process that has yielded highly competitive teams consistently and raised expectations to a new level both internally and with our fans.”
But this season, Stearns encountered strong criticism over sending four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline. The Brewers owned a three-game NL Central lead at the time of the trade but faded out of the playoff picture after Hader’s departure. The Padres reached the NLCS.
Stearns said the disappointing finish didn’t impact his decision to leave and that he had been contemplating this move “for many months.”
“I understand people want to know what comes next, and the truth is, I don’t know,” the 37-year-old said. “I’m not going into this with any plan. I think my generation — a segment of my generation, and I will certainly put myself in this group — is inflicted with a condition where we feel like every single thing must be planned out. Decision A must lead to Decision B, which must lead to Decision C.
“In this case, I’m making Decision A because I think it’s the right thing to do. I don’t know what Decisions B and C will be, but I know that Decision A is the right thing to do for me.”
Arnold now takes over a team with plenty of offseason questions.
The Brewers have 18 players eligible for arbitration, including 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes and pitcher Brandon Woodruff.
Outfielder Andrew McCutchen, catcher Omar Narváez, utilityman Jace Peterson and relievers Taylor Rogers and Trevor Rosenthal are free agents. The Brewers have to decide whether to pick up a $10 million option on second baseman Kolten Wong and a $3 million option on reliever Brad Boxberger.
Adding to the complications is the large contract of Yelich, whose performance has tailed off markedly since his 2018 and 2019 seasons. Yelich will make $26 million each of the next six seasons, though $4 million of that will be deferred each year.
“I think a lot of what Mark and David and I have talked about is the stability that we have here,” said Arnold, who joined the Brewers organization in October 2015. “We do have a great foundation in place, so I don’t envision any major changes there.”
How long Stearns is part of that foundation — and his level of involvement — is uncertain.
“I love baseball,” Stearns said. “Baseball has been an enormous part of my life, and I anticipate that it will continue to be an enormous part of my life. In what capacity, I think remains to be seen. I think that could be anything from being a fan — a really passionate fan — to one day working again in a senior leadership position. I’m not really going to close any doors, but I know this is the right time to exhale a little bit.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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