Seeing is believing with David Stearns

David Stearns admitted his own faults and failures during Monday’s press conference

What’s Up with the Mets? 💭

• David Stearns said on Monday he is open to adding more to the front office after bringing on Derek Falvey last week, but didn’t think adding a general manager under him was critical

• Stearns said the Mets have not had any conversations with Bo Bichette regarding his opt out yet

• Neither Stearns nor Andy Green have made any decisions on the future of the coaching staff - they will have conversations about that this week with decisions coming soon

• RHP Tylor Megill is expected to be among the starting pitchers competing for a spot in the rotation during spring training

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Injury Updates 🏥

• Jared Young (concussion) is recovering well, but considering the degree of his on-field collision, the team is remaining extremely cautious

• Tylor Megill and Reed Garrett (recovery from Tommy John Surgery) are expected to have a normal off-season and be 100 percent heading into Spring Training

• Jorge Polanco (foot surgery) will be in a baseball progression phase at the beginning of Spring Training

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The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️

On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich and Andrew recapped the final week of the season for the Mets and previewed the uncertain off-season ahead for the Mets.

SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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David Stearns’s end-of-year presser 🎤

Here’s essentially what David Stearns said during his end-of-season press conference on the Mets:

1. He is retiring the phrase, “run prevention.” He said it wasn’t good in the first half, was better in the second half

2. There will be options at second base next year. It sounded like those options - at least right now - are here, either on the major league roster or in the minor leagues. He would not commit to Marcus Semien being the primary second baseman in 2027

3. For the moment, Kodai Senga will be with the Mets, at least into Spring Training in 2027. Stearns said Senga wants to start, but his role will be determined over the course of Spring Training

4. The Mets will be searching for starting pitching. He passed on a targeted question regarding Tarik Skubal, but said they’d love to add to the top of the rotation, as all clubs would. They feel like there are more options in the minor leagues than there were in the past

5. On Jorge Polanco, he’s recovering from his foot surgery, but they have to wait to see where he’s at in Spring Training. He thinks he can be a contributor, but they’re not counting on him for a meaningful contribution right now

6. It sounds like the Mets will look externally to upgrade at first base - he seemed to show some regret on the Pete Alonso situation as well

7. Ronny Mauricio will compete for a spot on the roster in Spring Training. He is out of options - he has to make the team in some capacity to remain with the team in 2027

8. They were encouraged by Francisco Álvarez’s second half, both offensively and defensively

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Actions speak louder than words ✍🏻

NY Post

Considering how badly things have gone for David Stearns over the last couple of years with the Mets, I think Monday’s press conference was one of his better days as President of Baseball Operations for this club.

Now, I am not going to pretend this was a good day for the Mets. They are, once again, one of 18 clubs that went home on Sunday. And they played out the string over the weekend in what were three absolutely meaningless games on the schedule short of offering opportunities to players like Jonah Tong, Ronny Mauricio, and some of the other roster candidates for 2027 to continue making a case for themselves heading into the winter.

Sure, that has a lot of value and merit, but again, as Stearns essentially said on Monday, this past weekend was miserable. It was like watching the eighth inning of a late February Spring Training game, only 27 times over three days.

Well, I suppose it was fun seeing Francisco Lindor hit his 300th home run, and Carson Benge continue to emerge as a “superstar,” as Juan Soto put it on Sunday.

Even so, here we are, with the quiet of October setting in for the Mets once again.

But, like I said, Stearns’s presser on Monday was one of both honest reflection and ownership of what has transpired for this franchise over the last 365-ish days, inclusive of some good things but mostly bad things, and I would expect even the media appreciated some of the humanization that he displayed.

No, he didn’t go in front of the microphone weeping. But he admitted his own failures; he admitted his own philosophies and roster strategies were deeply flawed, going as far as to say the risk he took more or less created a bottomless downside which caused the team to crater early in the season.

Of course, he wasn’t getting out of the room without addressing the Pete Alonso situation which unfolded all year long in front of him and then literally blew up in his face at Citi Field two weeks ago when the Orioles were in town.

Now, whether you agree or disagree with the fan reaction to Alonso at Citi Field during that series, it’s hard to ignore what happened for anyone, inclusive of Stearns and Steve Cohen. When the whole stadium is cheering loudly for a former player in one form or another, which was then followed by numerous “FIRE DAVID STEARNS!” chants, it’s hard for him or anyone in that office building to move on without saying something.

Now, again, he didn’t beg for forgiveness or offer any platitudes that could really fix the mess that was created at first base by letting Alonso go. But he did say he isn’t allowed any “mulligans,” which was, for the first time, an offering of regret on the matter.

When he said that, I was amazed.

NY Post

Remember, he and this front office made it clear after the 2024 season they really had no genuine interest in retaining Alonso. It was Steve Cohen who had to intervene in February at a meeting in Florida with Stearns and Alonso to make it happen for 2025. Then, it happened again the following winter, only this time Alonso was coming off a typical Alonso year, and his free agency was very short and it did not include any interaction with the Mets.

So for Stearns to basically say he made a mistake without using those words specifically was, to me, anyway, borderline stunning. GMs, especially someone like Stearns, who comes off as among the most transactional baseball executives in the sport, was incredible to me.

But again, I appreciated Stearns showed some vulnerability on this topic, among others, which included the difference in how he needs to go about his business as an executive with the Mets compared to how he has in the past in other markets.

As for what’s coming, Stearns of course couldn’t offer a lot of specifics, but he did make specific references to three areas of need: starting pitching, first base, second base.

I will be getting into the specifics myself over the coming days and weeks, but I found his perspective on second base the most fascinating, mostly because they stunk there from day one and that they’re not committing to Marcus Semien as a starter in 2027.

In addition to that, they seem intent on going to the external markets to find first-base help, although there’s no obvious fit in free agency. That probably means they’re going to have to find a trade partner to solve that equation.

Then, of course, there’s the rotation. Again, I’ll be doing a deep dive on this later, but Stearns got into the various ways the club could augment their young core of starting pitchers. He talked about how any team would love to add to the top of the rotation, but then, of course, dodged a specific question about pursuing Tarik Skubal. He also talked about second-tier options and building depth, noting a team needs 10–12 starting pitchers to get through a season.

So, this is going to be very, very fascinating over the next couple of months specifically.

Now, while I think it’s a no-brainer and a must for the Mets to be all in on Skubal, I know that’s easier said than done for any team given the likely demands and the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, and pretty much every big-market club being in on the derby.

Seeing is also believing with Stearns, who has been reluctant to take long-term risks on starting pitchers, which at this point has become ironic considering how much risk he has absorbed with fractured players on short-term deals, most of which have been busts over the last two years.

The Mets would also likely have to blow the doors off with any sort of final offer to Skubal to land him, considering the state of their franchise with respect to that of the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox specifically.

AP Photo

Having said that, he did say, again without referencing Skubal or anyone else specifically, the organization is willing to make these kinds of moves for the right kind of players. Now, that might simply be GM speak, lip service, and even an offering of a fake Rolex, so to speak.

But it leaves the door open until it is closed (by the Dodgers, am I right?).

So, we will see. It is time for the Mets to go to work. Again, I appreciated the humanity and humility Stearns showed on Monday. But actions speak louder than words. Does he make adjustments? Does he take fewer risks, as Cohen would seem to want from him this winter? Can they bolster their areas of need in meaningful and generally predictable ways?

Again, seeing is believing. As encouraging as the second half was for this club, there’s a lot of work to do to fix and undo the problems created by Stearns’s (self-admitted) mistakes.

But he’s here, and it’s the right call by Cohen to keep him on at least through the term of his contract in an effort to build and demonstrate stability with the organization. So, like it or not, he has to be given a chance to right the ship.

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Around the League 🚩

• After rolling his ankle in the final week of the season, Luis Arraez will not be on the Phillies roster for the Wild Card Series

• Aaron Judge, who is dealing with a moderate calf strain, took live BP at Yankee Stadium on Monday with hopes of being active for the Yankees Wild Card Series against the Red Sox

• Corey Seager may need elbow surgery to address a bone spur (ESPN)

• Alex Bregman, who has multiple fractures in his cheek after being hit by a foul ball on September 20, took groundballs at Petco Park on Monday and could be available to play third base in their Wild Card Series against the Padres