Matt Arnold vs David Stearns

[MVP2110]

We are on Matt Arnold's 3rd season as GM of the Brewers and I think we can see some stark differences between him & David Stearns. Matt Arnold hasnt signed a single free agent to a multi year deal(unless you count Hoskins PO) whereas Stearns signed several(Cain, Lindblom, Wong, Garcia, Albers, Chacin, Thames, Bradley) & Arnold has only made practical moves at the trade deadline whereas Stearns turned Travis Shaw into a 2B and traded away Hader. Both were great at player development and talent evaluation, but its clear Stearns was much more aggressive with free agents & trades than Arnold is. Both are great GMs and idk that I have a preference between the two but its interesting. Curious how this board views these two

[Ignitor 4ever]

You really cannot argue with the results we have seen from Arnold. He (and his staff) have done a terrific job of identifying players (like Priester and Vaughn) who are struggling with the teams they are on but have potential that the Brewers believe they can tap into. That is as good (or often better) at improving the team than free agent signings. Also, our farm system is very strong and that is the way to win as a small market team. Keep building the farm system through the draft and trades. The Brewers are going to likely be a consistently young team with a few key vets sprinkled in, but that is okay if the farm system stays strong.

[sveumrules]

One aspect of Stearns signing more position player FA than Arnold is that we hadn’t built out the prospect procurement / development infrastructure to produce those players in house yet.

Since Arnold took over (2023-now) Brewers rookie position players are tops in MLB with 14.5 WAR.

From 2016-22 under Stearns Brewers rookie position players only managed 9.6 WAR (13th).

[Brewer77]

Stearns was more aggressive, but I think there are a few reasons beyond any difference in philosophy 

1) Smaller playoff field (also meaning more sellers/cheaper costs)

2) We had a 6 year playoff drought heading into 2018 (more incentive to make a push)

3) We stunk at developing hitters

[Thurston Fluff]

It's hard to compare. Stearns had more money to spend when he got some of those free agents. Not necessarily always higher payrolls but fewer players making high salaries early in his tenure. You can splurge on Cain and Chacin when you're paying Hader, Burnes and Woody pre/early arbitration salaries.

[Playing Catch]

I don't think their philosophies are as different as they seem on the surface. When Travis Shaw was playing 2nd base, it was the peak of 3TO, unbalanced shifts, and launch-angle. Every left-handed hitter, and nearly every infielder had to be a power hitter to have any value. Stearns was riding the wave of metrics at the time.

Since Arnold took over, the Brewers have been at the absolute forefront of predicting how rule changes and bull-penning will change the game. Defense, Team Speed, Platoons, and making good swing decisions are key, accepting hitting hard shots on the ground instead of selling out for launch angle. This happens to fit in well with how teams value those players.

The Yankees weren't going to play Durbin at 3rd base. The Brewers are one of the few teams willing to roster guys like Perkins, Collins, and the versatile Seigler.

[Brian]

Is this true? Juan Soto's salary for the 2025 MLB season is $61,875,000, with a total cash payout of $121,875,000, which includes a $75 million signing bonus. 

The Milwaukee Brewers' total payroll for the 2025 MLB season is approximately $113 million. This figure ranks them 23rd in the league for the current season. 

Crazy if it is. 

[homer]

This might be coincidence or just how the drafts have fallen but it seems like they've gone more for high floor hitters and high ceiling pitchers. That may date back to Stearns though. 

[Brian]

20 minutes ago, homer said:

This might be coincidence or just how the drafts have fallen but it seems like they've gone more for high floor hitters and high ceiling pitchers. That may date back to Stearns though. 

Its amazing the turnover we had since David Stearns left.  Who is still on the MLB Brewers roster besides Peralta, Woodruff, Yelich, Ashby, Contreras and Turang?  That's about it. 

[TwinsBrewersWorldSeries]

On 8/7/2025 at 11:14 AM, Brian said:

Its amazing the turnover we had since David Stearns left.  Who is still on the MLB Brewers roster besides Peralta, Woodruff, Yelich, Ashby, Contreras and Turang?  That's about it. 

That is pretty crazy indeed.  I didn't realize we had that much turnover... but also makes me realize just how many young players we currently have on our roster.

For the young players at the MLB level (that were in the minors during the Stearns era), you could make an argument that those players should still be considered part of the Stearns admin

[SeaBass]

B-b-but when does Matt Arnold start to receive some criticism?

 

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

13 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

B-b-but when does Matt Arnold start to receive some criticism?

 

Apparently this latest winning streak finally did him in.

[Brian]

51 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

B-b-but when does Matt Arnold start to receive some criticism?

 

The Brewers did turn it around the middle of May.  First couple months was rough though giving up a lot and not scoring. I was hard on Al Leboeuf. But also that was when the Cubs were 21-13 and we were 16-18. 

[dlk9s]

On 8/1/2025 at 10:33 AM, MVP2110 said:

Travis Shaw

Speaking of, the Mayor of Ding Dong City should definitely be in the next alumni home run derby.

[Austin Tatious]

This is an excellent question. My personal view is that Stearns was a critical person who worked with Mark to overhaul the philosophy and infrastructure for the organization.  He established an organization with staying power in many respects.  Highly talented people were installed throughout the organization and it has led to sustained success.  To wit: The Latin American connections they built up in Venezuela and the new Dominican academy.  The pitching lab. The outstanding scouting and drafting in the US.  Player development.  The traits they look for and the way they work the bonus pool are a work of art.   Mark has done a great job with following through on what they established in terms of philosophy.  You can see a radical shift from his earlier years.  

Matt was part of that group.  As GM he has taken what Stearns did as an architect and maintained it and all the infrastructure and philosophy is as good as ever.  He deserves credit and is the right man at the moment.  

[Playing Catch]

13 hours ago, Austin Tatious said:

This is an excellent question. My personal view is that Stearns was a critical person who worked with Mark to overhaul the philosophy and infrastructure for the organization.  He established an organization with staying power in many respects.  Highly talented people were installed throughout the organization and it has led to sustained success.  To wit: The Latin American connections they built up in Venezuela and the new Dominican academy.  The pitching lab. The outstanding scouting and drafting in the US.  Player development.  The traits they look for and the way they work the bonus pool are a work of art.   Mark has done a great job with following through on what they established in terms of philosophy.  You can see a radical shift from his earlier years.  

Matt was part of that group.  As GM he has taken what Stearns did as an architect and maintained it and all the infrastructure and philosophy is as good as ever.  He deserves credit and is the right man at the moment.  

This is how I view it as well. Attanasio has re-built this franchise from the ground up. That takes a tremendous commitment to his vision of being a winner. And I don't think we have to stop at Stearns. I think that the work that Doug Melvin did as GM should also be lauded. He oversaw the original efforts to get back to being a winning club, and, presumably, aided in the search to (ultimately), sign Stearns.