Mets Rumors

1:02pm: MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that Arnold is not only staying with the Brewers organization but signing a contract extension (Twitter link). With Stearns signed through at least 2022 and reportedly having an option for the 2023 season, it seems as though the Arnold extension will maintain some continuity for at least the next couple of seasons.

10:36am: Brewers general manager Matt Arnold has withdrawn his name from the Mets’ search for a new president of baseball operations, tweets Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Arnold will remain with the Brewers.

Reports yesterday began connecting the Mets and Arnold, albeit in somewhat conflicting fashion. While the New York Post’s Mike Puma indicated the two sides had been in contact, SNY’s Andy Martino reported that the Brewers had yet to grant permission to interview Arnold. Whatever the case, it seems largely moot at this point, with Arnold now set to remain in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future.

The Mets have been prominently tied to at least six different executives as they search for a new baseball operations leader, but to this point it appears as though they’ve been spurned across the board. The initial trio of Theo Epstein, Brewers president David Stearns and A’s executive vice president Billy Beane somewhat predictably did not bear fruit; all three had good reason to be viewed as long shots at best. Epstein noted last year when stepping down from the Cubs that he wanted to spend time away from a baseball ops role, while both Stearns and Beane were under contract with their current teams. The Brewers had also denied the Mets permission to speak to Stearns a year ago.

Moving past that trio, the Mets have since been tied to Arnold, Giants GM Scott Harris and Dodgers assistant general manager Brandon Gomes, but they’ll need to further broaden their search. Harris, like Arnold, withdrew his name from the mix, whereas Gomes is reportedly set for a promotion within his current organization. The Mets have also been tied Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes — the former GM of the Padres and D-backs — and other candidates figure to emerge as the search wears on for a second consecutive offseason.

3:18 pm: Andy Martino of SNY reports that while the Mets have indeed requested permission to speak with Arnold, they’ve yet to receive an answer from Milwaukee. Given that the New York job would be a step up in terms of title and responsibility, it would seem likely the Brewers would eventually allow him to interview. However, Martino cautions that Arnold’s contract may contain language limiting his ability to field requests from rival clubs.

12:43 pm: After being denied permission to interview Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns, it appears as though the Mets have set their sights on his second-in-command. Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets have been in contact with Brewers general manager Matt Arnold and may have even made an offer for Arnold to become their new president of baseball operations. Arnold, at this time, is seen as the Mets’ “top candidate,” per Puma.

While the Brewers weren’t keen on allowing Stearns to interview for a lateral move to the same title in Queens, it’s not surprising that they’re apparently more open to affording that opportunity to Arnold. Teams will generally let their executives interview with other clubs in the event that the role in question represents a promotion. Arnold ascending from GM to president of baseball ops would certainly fit that billing, as he’d be in line for a title bump and would have autonomy over the Mets’ entire baseball operations outfit.

Arnold, 42, has been with the Brewers since Stearns hired him away from the Rays and named him assistant general manager following the 2015 season. He’d spent the previous nine seasons with Tampa Bay, rising from the scouting staff to director of player personnel. He’s also worked with the Reds, Dodgers and Rangers in a baseball operations career that now spans more than two decades.

Arnold was of interest to the Angels last offseason when they were in the market for a new GM themselves, and he interviewed with the Pirates in the 2019-20 offseason during their GM search as well. But the Brewers, who’d recently promoted Stearns to president of baseball operations, promoted Arnold to general manager within their own hierarchy and kept him off the board for other clubs seeking to fill that role. A move to the Mets’ presidency does not appear one the Brewers would block, hence the reported contract and possible offer being extended.

It’s been a tumultuous front office search for the Mets over the past year. Cohen came in with his sights set high but was unable to hire a president of baseball operations to his lofty standard last winter. Instead, the Mets pivoted to hire a general manager who could possibly be groomed as a future president. That search led them to Jared Porter, who was fired just weeks later after revelations of repeated sexual harassment by Porter in past work environments. Zack Scott, whom the club had hired as an assistant general manager, was elevated to “acting” GM and seen as a possible GM candidate this winter before an August DWI charge brought his own future with the organization into question.

The Mets set out with high expectations again this offseason, pursuing the likes of Stearns, A’s executive vice president Billy Beane and former Cubs/Red Sox president Theo Epstein. The Brewers denied permission to interview Stearns for a second straight offseason. Epstein and Cohen reportedly mutually agreed it was not a good fit after one conversation. Beane removed himself from consideration before even formally discussing the matter. Subsequent interest in Giants general manager Scott Harris and Dodgers assistant GM Brandon Gomes has come up empty as well; Harris is a Bay Area native who reportedly does not wish to leave his current role, while there have been multiple reports that the Dodgers could be positioning Gomes for his own promotion to GM status.