NEW YORK \u2013 David Stearns doesn’t get a do-over. He knows that all too well.<\/p>\n
One day after the New York Mets finished last in the NL East for the first time in 23 years, the team’s embattled president of baseball operations was asked a pointed question.<\/p>\n
Knowing what he knows now, would he have taken a full swing at re-signing Pete Alonso?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI think that’s a very fair question. The truth is in this job, I don’t get mulligans,\u201d Stearns said Monday. “I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year. And the totality of our production at first base wasn\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n When the Mets didn’t attempt to retain Alonso in free agency last fall, their homegrown franchise home run leader bolted for a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore as Stearns focused on improving the pitching and defense instead.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I\u2019ll retire the phrase `run prevention,\u2019\u201d Stearns said with a grin. \u201cI don\u2019t know that that one worked particularly well.\u201d<\/p>\n Alonso topped the American League with 43 homers and 113 RBIs, playing in every game for the third consecutive season as the 31-year-old slugger became the first player in major league history to win an RBI crown in both leagues.<\/p>\n New York, meanwhile, never recovered from a 12-game losing streak in April. Despite a record $358 million opening-day payroll, the Mets struggled badly at the plate, were mediocre on the mound and finished 74-88 for their worst mark since 2017.<\/p>\n \u201cThis past weekend that we just experienced in Washington, where you are literally playing out the string, it\u2019s miserable. That is a miserable experience for players, for coaches, for executives,\u201d Stearns said during a 33-minute news conference at Citi Field to wrap up the season.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we have an extraordinarily motivated organization, from ownership on down, to ensure that never happens again.\u201d<\/p>\n The absence of Alonso at first base was magnified when lineup mainstays Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were both sidelined for long stretches because of calf injuries.<\/p>\n Soto finished with a .908 OPS, the second-lowest of his career, while Lindor set full-season career lows with 49 RBIs, three stolen bases, a .225 batting average and a .733 OPS.<\/p>\n Mets first basemen had 18 homers, 77 RBIs and a .667 OPS \u2014 the third-lowest OPS at the position, ahead of only Seattle and Arizona.<\/p>\n Alonso received standing ovations from Mets fans before every at-bat during the Orioles\u2019 three-game sweep at Citi Field this month. He took a rare curtain call on the road Sept. 15, when his 300th career homer<\/a> tied the score for Baltimore in the ninth inning and chants of \u201cFire Stearns!\u201d rang out from the crowd of 28,097.<\/p>\n Last week, the Mets added former Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey to the front office when he was hired as senior adviser for baseball operations.<\/a> Falvey will report directly to Stearns. <\/p>\n New York played better late in the season, going 27-22 after the Aug. 3 trade deadline despite a massive selloff and 40-41 overall under Andy Green, who took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired June 26.<\/a><\/p>\n