David Stearns, who grew up a Mets fan and has heard the complaints from the Mets fans in his life, understands the uproar over the uprooting of the longtime core of the team.
Pete Alonso, the franchise’s all-time home run king, scored the kind of big-money, long-term deal with the Orioles that the Mets would not entertain. Shutdown closer and trumpet enthusiast Edwin Díaz chose the reigning champion Dodgers for three years and $69 million. Brandon Nimmo, beloved but soon to be 33 and declining, was swapped for Marcus Semien. Jeff McNeil, who won a batting title just a couple of years ago, was dumped on the A’s. Stearns might not have entered this winter believing the team required a complete makeover, but watching the market play out and allowing or enabling each defection stripped the club of talent, part of the soul… and a connection with the fan base.
These decisions were “really tough,” Stearns allowed. But the president of baseball operations believes the moves were necessary to set the franchise up for success in the present and future, and turn the Mets into a consistent World Series threat — which never quite happened with the previous core, which made a magical run to the NLCS in 2024 but did little else in October.
In his first public comments since Alonso and Díaz officially left and the magnitude of this offseason of change became clear, Stearns spoke optimistically about what the very different Mets can be in 2026 — he believes that despite the subtractions and before further additions, the Mets are a good team — and beyond.
“We are committed, universally from ownership on down, to ensure that the next five years of the Mets are better,” Stearns said at a luncheon with reporters at Citi Field on Tuesday, “and that we win more games and meet the lofty expectations that we all have for ourselves.
“… What we’ve done previously has not been good enough. We all know that. I certainly know that. We’ve got to do better, and we’re committed to doing that.”
David Stearns is speaking out following the Mets’ massive roster upheaval in free agency. Robert Sabo for NY Post
The most significant step to getting better, Stearns reiterated, entailed cleaning up the team defense. Alonso is a strong scooper but not a strong defender. The Mets signed infielder Jorge Polanco, who has no previous big-league experience at the spot but whom the team believes can play “a quality first base,” Stearns said. Mark Vientos also could see time at the position, and it is possible another addition is made.
Semien is an immediate upgrade at second base. The outfield renovation is a work in progress.
This focus on improving defensively was in part spurred by Stearns taking a poll. In the weeks and months after the season, he asked opposing executives and coaches about his club.
“Almost all of them, the first thing out of their mouths was, ‘Your defense wasn’t close to good enough,’ ” Stearns said after an expensive and disastrous season. “It wasn’t just us — this was something the league picked up on very quickly last year, especially teams that played us our last month or six weeks. So that has to be better.
“And that is a combination of personnel changes, which we’re in the midst of doing, but also holding our players to a standard and level defensively that’s a little bit higher than where we were last year.”
Among those returning defenders whom Stearns believes can be better next season: Juan Soto. An overhauled coaching staff around Carlos Mendoza, notably bench coach Kai Correa, will try to extract more out of everyone.
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The other way to better prevent runs is to pitch better. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver arrive from The Bronx to a bullpen that no longer houses Díaz. Stearns has not brought in a front-of-the-rotation starter — at least not yet, the club still “seeking to add,” Stearns said — but believes there can be bounce-backs from the likes of Kodai Senga (who worked out part of this winter in North Carolina, where the Mets checked in with him) and Sean Manaea. Further steps are also possible from Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and a healthy Christian Scott.
“I think we have a lot of players who were either negatively impacted by injury; were having good years and then got hurt; got hurt, and then due to the arc of our season, never fully got built up,” Stearns said. “And so a lot went wrong in the rotation last year. And I think there’s upside for all of those guys.”
There are still several weeks before spring training and many free-agent and trade possibilities. But even before more work is done, Stearns expressed confidence that a team that no longer belongs to Alonso, Nimmo, Díaz and McNeil is talented and capable.
“We have elite talent at the top of our major league roster,” Stearns said. “We’ve got a very good farm system, and we’ve got a very good present-day major league team as we sit here today that’s going to get better before we get to Opening Day.
“I certainly understand that there have been points this offseason that have been frustrating for our fan base. We’re not blind to that at all. I’m certainly not blind to that. I hear it, I recognize it — from my friends and family at times — I’m also very convicted that what we are doing is the right thing for our franchise going forward to accomplish our goals.”