David Stearns is making the most of his connections.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Wednesday that the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers have teamed up for a trade. Veteran starter Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor are going to the Mets while minor-league righty Coleman Crow heads back to the Brewers.
The 30-year-old Houser is the biggest name here. He was a regular in Milwaukee’s starting rotation over the last several seasons and went 8-5 with a 4.12 ERA over 21 starts last year (though he is perhaps most famous for an unfortunate viral moment). While Houser had been a lifelong Brewer, he is projected to make roughly $5.6 million in arbitration next season, so Milwaukee frees up some money by moving him.
Meanwhile, Taylor, 29, is a decent power bat who hit 17 home runs in 2022, and Crow, 22, is an upside pitcher who fanned 11.6 batters per nine innings in 2023 (but is now coming off Tommy John surgery).
The Mets and Brewers are connected by Stearns, who was the president of baseball operations for the latter but left in October to take the same job with the former. Stearns is keeping active during his first Mets offseason and is trying to add an even bigger name to the rotation too.
