Report: Mets denied permission to interview Brewers' Stearns

The New York Mets are still looking for someone to run their baseball operations and it reportedly won't be Milwaukee Brewers executive David Stearns.

The Brewers denied the Mets permission to interview Stearns for New York's president of baseball operations position, sources told Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Stearns currently holds that same job in Milwaukee.

"I am happy to be here and look forward to continuing my time with the Brewers," Stearns told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, also declining to comment on the Mets' front-office openings.

The Mets also requested permission to interview Cleveland Indians general manager Mike Chernoff, according to Morosi. While it's unclear if the Indians granted permission, most teams have a policy allowing employees to interview for positions that constitute a promotion, like GM to the president of baseball operations.

Steve Cohen completed his purchase of the Mets earlier this month and quickly made cuts to the front office staff, which included parting ways with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.

Sandy Alderson returned as team president after leaving the club in 2018 due to cancer. While Alderson has experience as a general manager, the team is looking for someone to work under him and run baseball operations.

Stearns grew up in New York as a Mets fan. The 35-year-old's first job after graduating from Harvard was in the Mets' front office. The Brewers hired Stearns as their GM in 2015, making him one of the youngest to ever hold the role. Stearns and the Brewers agreed to a multi-year extension last winter and he was promoted to president of baseball operations.