Revisionist history is a tricky thing. It'd be easy to look at what former Brewers GM David Stearns has done since leaving Milwaukee for the New York Mets and think, 'We're so much better off,' but in this case? I think you might be right.
Let's get this out of the way first: Stearns deserves a ton of credit for what he accomplished with the Brewers. He took over as one of the youngest executives in American professional sports and immediately reset the tone for the team, including assembling a terrific bullpen and making trades for vital players like Christian Yelich and Willy Adames.
However, the Brewers have reached new heights in the years since his departure. Their farm system has been elevated from very good to almost inarguably the best in the MLB, the team has made savvy trades to acquire young, blossoming talent, and has put together some of the greatest regular seasons in franchise history.
Meanwhile, Stearns' tenure in New York has turned sour with several botched trades, difficult free-agent decisions, and ultimately, a severe lack of success when compared with the lofty expectations for the team. He's learning the hard way that one man cannot dig the Mets out of the hole they find themselves in, and the franchise's curse won't be lifted easily.
But for the Brewers? Everything is going exactly as they hoped it would, and that has a lot to do with their leadership in the front office.
David Stearns deserves his flowers for turning the Brewers around, but Matt Arnold is the one to take them to the promised land.
Stearns was an unbelievable mentor for Brewers GM and President of Baseball Operations, Matt Arnold. The transition between them was relatively seamless, and because of Stearns' New York ties and Mets fandom, it felt to the Brewers like that was a foregone conclusion. So they invested in the development and leadership of Arnold, who is the perfect leader for this franchise.
He's not afraid to make hard decisions, but is also always looking for ways to maximize the team. He's excellent with people, tackling issues head-on respectfully while also building real relationships with people throughout the organization on a personal level. It's hard to find a better representative of the franchise than Arnold, which helps set the culture that trickles down to the dugout.
This isn't to say Stearns didn't do that. I couldn't say with any certainty anyway. But I can say for sure that Arnold is doing things his own way, and it's clearly working out. Just check his credentials — Arnold won National League Executive of the Year in each of the last two seasons and remains firmly in the mix this year.
So while Stearns was the right steward to put the Brewers back in position to compete, it's Arnold who's preparing them to contend. Not only is that a whole lot sweeter, but it's also being done in a way that's sustainable for the long term, and that goes a long way for a small-market franchise.
The future in Milwaukee is bright as ever.
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