The Milwaukee Brewers have been doing things the right way for nearly a decade now.
Craig Counsell took over Ron Roenicke in 2015, and the team finished 68-94 that year.
They were 73-89 in 2016 and 86-76 in 2017: slow, but steady improvement.
In 2018, they won the NL Central with a 96-67 record and reached the National League Championship Series.
From that year on, they started a successful period that yielded five postseason berths in a span of six seasons including 2023.
They did all this with limited resources and a small payroll.
Naturally, the Brewers’ manager and executives have drawn a lot of attention around the league.
The Chicago Cubs secured the services of Counsell to be their manager, and now the New York Mets (who were in contention for Counsell) are taking one of the Brewers’ top executives.
“The Mets have added Eduardo Brizuela as a VP/special assistant to David Stearns, league sources tell @TheAthletic. Brizuela was a VP with the Brewers. He spent more than 15 years with Milwaukee. He brings a lot of international, minor league ops and player acquisition experience,” Mets insider Will Sammon tweeted.
The Mets have added Eduardo Brizuela as a VP/special assistant to David Stearns, league sources tell @TheAthletic. Brizuela was a VP with the Brewers. He spent more than 15 years with Milwaukee. He brings a lot of international, minor league ops and player acquisition experience.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) November 7, 2023
The Mets want to make sure they have a solid scouting staff to identify elite talent, and Brizuela will help in that regard.
He has lots of connections in the international market and experience dealing with all things minor leagues.
The Mets added some really good prospects at the 2023 deadline: Luisangel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, Marco Vargas, Ronald Hernandez, Justin Jarvis, Ryan Clifford, Jeremy Rodriguez, and more.
With the hiring of Brizuela, they want to make sure their farm system reaches elite status in the foreseeable future.
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