I never lost faith in Stearns. He is a tremendous poker player. I would think that the Brewers tried to initially extract more out of not only the Mets, but all the other teams seeking Peralta as they should. In the end all involved received a fair deal and do not underestimate what Myers can bring to add to the bullpen. A great day in the Met universe. I hope that the guys they traded have nice careers
Respect for the apology. There are still a lot of Stearns haters who can't bear to give him credit for anything. And we don't know how this team will perform, it is radically different than last year. But I can say I am looking forward to this season again.
I don't think an apology was in order. I'm very glad Stearns has picked himself back up off the floor but letting Diaz go was a major blunder. And let's be sober: if the Mets don't go far this year and Peralta signs with another team, the trade will look mighty bad if Sproat or Williams turn out to be stars which is quite possible.
Not locking in Sugar is the only thing I can truly crack on Stearns for.
I would have liked to keep Pete too, but I get it, Stearns wanted to get away from streaky sluggers and create a lineup that's a constant threat every day, with Soto at the heart of it.
So, we'll see. I think there may be one more move lurking out there. We're not quite on par with the Dodgers yet.
I get the impulse to applaud decisiveness, but I don’t suddenly find this roster adorable. It still feels like a patchwork quilt stitched together into a kind of Frankenstein monster—lots of interchangeable parts, not much soul.
Losing Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz looks more questionable by the day. Whatever the theory, the result feels like we’ve swapped one batch of .230 hitters for another batch of… different .230 hitters. That’s not transformation; that’s lateral motion with better PR.
Yes, Bo Bichette is a real bat, and Freddy Peralta is a legitimate arm. No argument there. But beyond those two, I’m struggling to see a coherent identity taking shape. Upside is being confused with inevitability.
What still worries me most is the pitching staff as a whole. One frontline starter doesn’t magically stabilize a rotation, and banking on health, bounce-backs, and “run prevention narratives” feels like wishcasting, not planning.
Maybe this works. Maybe in hindsight the slow play looks brilliant. But right now, calling this offseason a home run feels premature. To me, it still looks like an experiment—interesting, risky, and very far from proven.
I hope I’m wrong. But hope isn’t a roster strategy.
I wonder if Bichette's statement about playing anywhere includes DH. My concern is that Baty isn't buried. About Robert, I'd love to be wrong but he hasn't hit two years running. Unless you think his second half is who he really is. I remember when the Mets picked up Cedric .229 Mullins some pointed out he'd had a good month leading up to the trade deadline. Turns out to have been a mirage and he was an automatic out.
Lou Bob has a lot to prove. But if he's healthy for a full season and can give us 145 games like he gave Chicago in 2023, we really stole a march there.
Bo is someone I'm not worried about. He's a gamer. Lace 'em up and go get 'em.
Peralta is the guy the Mets were looking for. Is there another gear for him to go from a great pitcher to ace? I think that’s what Stearns was searching for all off season. Freddy is not Skubal. Can he get there though? This is what Stearns has been looking for and Joe Ryan or Gore fit the same mold. Good top of the rotation guys but do they have more? Peralta will get into the lab and we shall see. I believe that McClean is going to be that guy. What we saw from him last year makes me think that he will be a Skenes or Skubal or Yamamoto. He just needs seasoning. Ready for pitchers and catchers now. I think they still need another outfielder in case Benge isn’t ready like a Hayes who crushes lefties and hell even Bader. Can you imagine Taylor, Robert,& Bader late in games? Whew! Talk about run prevention! LFGM!
I was waiting before I assumed that the offseason was a bust.
I suggested in comments that losing Alonso, if we wanted some change among other things, would not be unforgivable. Good luck, and hope the Orioles improve. In return, they got a short-term elite replacement. Good job on that.
Losing Diaz was off. They got a decent replacement, but we will see how he does.
McNeil and Nimmo's going was not unforgivable. I expected they'd find some OF, and good job with the one they obtained. Nimmo going in part was a cleaning house measure, I assume. Are they done in that department? Will they trade one of the extra starters?
The extra pieces, including a nice "toss-in" in the starter deal, are nice.
So what is the current WAR with all those changes? Ha!
I feel we did not improve 1B, 3B or Closing Pitcher and took massive steps back at 1B and Closer and potentially at 3B. 1B and 3B have never played those positions before in their professional careers so I feel we defensively got much worse in the infield. Losing Acuna and Sproat may hurt our future, but who knows.
It was a bit of an off-year for FAs and realistic trade bait, so Stearns did what he could with the available market. Arguably, the best FAs out there this off-season were the ones who got away, including Diaz and Pete.
Peralta's a rental until proven otherwise and a costly one at that if Sproat and Jett develop into long-term MLers. Robert was pretty much a wash.
So let's see how the new-look Mets do before we elevate Stearns into genius territory.
I dont consider Peralta an ace. On the Dodgers he'd be fighting for the #5 spot. McLean is our only ace. Peralta and Senga are serviceable in the middle of the rotation.
I hope you guys at Just Mets learn a lesson from this. If I want to hear ranting fans who are off the rails I can tune in to talk radio. I expect more from you guys. More clear-headed analysis, please. Less shouting. Take your lead from Jeffrey Bellone at Mets Fix who stays steady. When he criticizes, I know he has thought it through.
Hi Tim, thanks for reading and for taking the time to respond. However, I disagree slightly. While I and others have questioned the plan, we haven't done it in a demeaning or ranting way. We have voiced our concerns, and then backed those up with clear-headed analysis. There's certainly been no shouting. The purpose of my piece today was to apologize for doubting if there was a plan, it wasn't apologizing for throwing toys out of the pram because we haven't done that here. I just got my assessment of the offseason wrong, that was all. But at every step I think the reasoning for our opinions, good or bad, have been reasonable and well-reasoned.
Fair enough, Andrew. I appreciate the reasoned response. I disagree, slighlty (LOL) too. But I'll keep reading. We all want the same thing -- a flipping World Series Championship!
Hahah, that's the wonderful thing about this community: we can agree or disagree, but it is all done in a respectful, friendly, and productive manner. Why this community is so special. Obviously, I always hold my hands up if I've done or said something stupid, so please keep holding me accountable. And I will make sure not to go shouty in the future haha. Absolutely, a bounce-back year this year would be great for all of us for starters. Again, thank you so much for your support and readership. It really is greatly appreciated.
Absolutely. I was a newspaper editor for 20 years and I always tried (mostly successfully) at engaging in respectful debate and disagreement. I meet Mets fans all over the country and they know their stuff. Keep up the good work and we will keep you accountable. Take care.
Sometimes emotions get the better of all of us, but I agree, the Mets fanbase is both passionate and really knowledgeable, and the comments section here is testament to that. Thank you. Take care too.
I never lost faith in Stearns. He is a tremendous poker player. I would think that the Brewers tried to initially extract more out of not only the Mets, but all the other teams seeking Peralta as they should. In the end all involved received a fair deal and do not underestimate what Myers can bring to add to the bullpen. A great day in the Met universe. I hope that the guys they traded have nice careers
I'm pretty excited now. Sign Peralta to an extension.
Respect for the apology. There are still a lot of Stearns haters who can't bear to give him credit for anything. And we don't know how this team will perform, it is radically different than last year. But I can say I am looking forward to this season again.
I don't think an apology was in order. I'm very glad Stearns has picked himself back up off the floor but letting Diaz go was a major blunder. And let's be sober: if the Mets don't go far this year and Peralta signs with another team, the trade will look mighty bad if Sproat or Williams turn out to be stars which is quite possible.
Not locking in Sugar is the only thing I can truly crack on Stearns for.
I would have liked to keep Pete too, but I get it, Stearns wanted to get away from streaky sluggers and create a lineup that's a constant threat every day, with Soto at the heart of it.
So, we'll see. I think there may be one more move lurking out there. We're not quite on par with the Dodgers yet.
I’m not quite ready to eat crow yet.
I get the impulse to applaud decisiveness, but I don’t suddenly find this roster adorable. It still feels like a patchwork quilt stitched together into a kind of Frankenstein monster—lots of interchangeable parts, not much soul.
Losing Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz looks more questionable by the day. Whatever the theory, the result feels like we’ve swapped one batch of .230 hitters for another batch of… different .230 hitters. That’s not transformation; that’s lateral motion with better PR.
Yes, Bo Bichette is a real bat, and Freddy Peralta is a legitimate arm. No argument there. But beyond those two, I’m struggling to see a coherent identity taking shape. Upside is being confused with inevitability.
What still worries me most is the pitching staff as a whole. One frontline starter doesn’t magically stabilize a rotation, and banking on health, bounce-backs, and “run prevention narratives” feels like wishcasting, not planning.
Maybe this works. Maybe in hindsight the slow play looks brilliant. But right now, calling this offseason a home run feels premature. To me, it still looks like an experiment—interesting, risky, and very far from proven.
I hope I’m wrong. But hope isn’t a roster strategy.
I wonder if Bichette's statement about playing anywhere includes DH. My concern is that Baty isn't buried. About Robert, I'd love to be wrong but he hasn't hit two years running. Unless you think his second half is who he really is. I remember when the Mets picked up Cedric .229 Mullins some pointed out he'd had a good month leading up to the trade deadline. Turns out to have been a mirage and he was an automatic out.
Lou Bob has a lot to prove. But if he's healthy for a full season and can give us 145 games like he gave Chicago in 2023, we really stole a march there.
Bo is someone I'm not worried about. He's a gamer. Lace 'em up and go get 'em.
Peralta is the guy the Mets were looking for. Is there another gear for him to go from a great pitcher to ace? I think that’s what Stearns was searching for all off season. Freddy is not Skubal. Can he get there though? This is what Stearns has been looking for and Joe Ryan or Gore fit the same mold. Good top of the rotation guys but do they have more? Peralta will get into the lab and we shall see. I believe that McClean is going to be that guy. What we saw from him last year makes me think that he will be a Skenes or Skubal or Yamamoto. He just needs seasoning. Ready for pitchers and catchers now. I think they still need another outfielder in case Benge isn’t ready like a Hayes who crushes lefties and hell even Bader. Can you imagine Taylor, Robert,& Bader late in games? Whew! Talk about run prevention! LFGM!
If they get another outfielder, then Baty will be buried. Young player with promise, got to let him play.
I forgot about Baty and Vientos. More deals are coming.
I was waiting before I assumed that the offseason was a bust.
I suggested in comments that losing Alonso, if we wanted some change among other things, would not be unforgivable. Good luck, and hope the Orioles improve. In return, they got a short-term elite replacement. Good job on that.
Losing Diaz was off. They got a decent replacement, but we will see how he does.
McNeil and Nimmo's going was not unforgivable. I expected they'd find some OF, and good job with the one they obtained. Nimmo going in part was a cleaning house measure, I assume. Are they done in that department? Will they trade one of the extra starters?
The extra pieces, including a nice "toss-in" in the starter deal, are nice.
So what is the current WAR with all those changes? Ha!
Mets have third highest WAR behind Evil Empire 1 and Evil Empire 2
I feel we did not improve 1B, 3B or Closing Pitcher and took massive steps back at 1B and Closer and potentially at 3B. 1B and 3B have never played those positions before in their professional careers so I feel we defensively got much worse in the infield. Losing Acuna and Sproat may hurt our future, but who knows.
A little early for apologies imo.
It was a bit of an off-year for FAs and realistic trade bait, so Stearns did what he could with the available market. Arguably, the best FAs out there this off-season were the ones who got away, including Diaz and Pete.
Peralta's a rental until proven otherwise and a costly one at that if Sproat and Jett develop into long-term MLers. Robert was pretty much a wash.
So let's see how the new-look Mets do before we elevate Stearns into genius territory.
I dont consider Peralta an ace. On the Dodgers he'd be fighting for the #5 spot. McLean is our only ace. Peralta and Senga are serviceable in the middle of the rotation.
I hope you guys at Just Mets learn a lesson from this. If I want to hear ranting fans who are off the rails I can tune in to talk radio. I expect more from you guys. More clear-headed analysis, please. Less shouting. Take your lead from Jeffrey Bellone at Mets Fix who stays steady. When he criticizes, I know he has thought it through.
Hi Tim, thanks for reading and for taking the time to respond. However, I disagree slightly. While I and others have questioned the plan, we haven't done it in a demeaning or ranting way. We have voiced our concerns, and then backed those up with clear-headed analysis. There's certainly been no shouting. The purpose of my piece today was to apologize for doubting if there was a plan, it wasn't apologizing for throwing toys out of the pram because we haven't done that here. I just got my assessment of the offseason wrong, that was all. But at every step I think the reasoning for our opinions, good or bad, have been reasonable and well-reasoned.
Fair enough, Andrew. I appreciate the reasoned response. I disagree, slighlty (LOL) too. But I'll keep reading. We all want the same thing -- a flipping World Series Championship!
Hahah, that's the wonderful thing about this community: we can agree or disagree, but it is all done in a respectful, friendly, and productive manner. Why this community is so special. Obviously, I always hold my hands up if I've done or said something stupid, so please keep holding me accountable. And I will make sure not to go shouty in the future haha. Absolutely, a bounce-back year this year would be great for all of us for starters. Again, thank you so much for your support and readership. It really is greatly appreciated.
Absolutely. I was a newspaper editor for 20 years and I always tried (mostly successfully) at engaging in respectful debate and disagreement. I meet Mets fans all over the country and they know their stuff. Keep up the good work and we will keep you accountable. Take care.
Sometimes emotions get the better of all of us, but I agree, the Mets fanbase is both passionate and really knowledgeable, and the comments section here is testament to that. Thank you. Take care too.
Disagree. I don't think any of the Just Mets writers are overly strident/histrionic.