David Stearns, who grew up as a Mets fan and has heard the complaints of Mets fans in his life, understands the fuss about the uprooting of the team’s old core.
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 wouldn’t land. 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 in decline, was traded for Marcus Semien. Jeff McNeil, who won a batting title a few years ago, was dumped to the A’s. Stearns might not have come into this winter believing the team needed a complete makeover, but as he watched the market evolve and allow or enable any defections, the club was stripped of talent, part of its soul… and a connection to the fanbase.
These decisions were “very difficult,” Stearns admitted. But the president of baseball operations believes the moves were necessary to set the franchise up for success in the present and future, and to make the Mets 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 extent of this offseason change became clear, Stearns spoke optimistically about what the very different Mets can be in 2026 — he believes the Mets are a good team despite the subtractions and before further additions — and beyond.
“We are universally committed, from ownership down, to making sure the next five years of the Mets are better,” Stearns said Tuesday during a lunch with reporters at Citi Field, “and that we win more games and meet the high expectations we all have for ourselves.”
“…What we did before wasn’t good enough. We all know that. I’m sure of it. We have to do better, and we are committed to doing that.”
The most important step to getting better, Stearns reiterated, was 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 but who the team believes can play “a quality first base,” Stearns said. Mark Vientos could also see time at the position, and it’s possible another addition could be made.
Semien is an immediate upgrade at second base. The renovation of the outdoor area is a work in progress.
This focus on improving defensively was spurred in part 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 good enough,’” Stearns said after a costly and disastrous season. “It wasn’t just us, this was something the league picked up very quickly last year, especially the teams that played against us in the last month or six weeks. So we have to improve.
“And that’s a combination of personnel changes, which we are in the middle of, but also keeping our players defensively at a standard and level that is slightly higher than last year.”
Among the returning defensemen who Stearns thinks can be better next season: Juan Soto. An overhauled coaching staff around Carlos Mendoza, especially bench coach Kai Correa, will try to get more out of everyone.
The other way to prevent runs better is to pitch better. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver arrive from The Bronx in a bullpen that no longer houses Díaz. Stearns hasn’t brought in a front-of-the-rotation starter — at least not yet, the club is “still trying to add one,” Stearns said — but believes there could be rebounds from the likes of Kodai Senga (who spent part of this winter in North Carolina, where the Mets checked in on him) and Sean Manaea. Further moves are also possible from Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and a healthy Christian Scott.
“I think we have a lot of players who have been negatively impacted by injury; who had good years and then got injured; who got injured and never fully recovered over the course of our season,” Stearns said. “And so a lot went wrong in the rotation last year. And I think there are also positive sides for all those guys.”
There are still several weeks left before spring training and plenty of free agent and trade opportunities. But before more work is done, Stearns expressed confidence that a team that no longer includes Alonso, Nimmo, Díaz and McNeil is talented and capable.
“We have top talent at the top of our Major League roster,” Stearns said. “We have a very good farm system, and we have a very good modern-day Major League team that will now get even better before we get to Opening Day.
“I certainly understand that there have been points this season that have been frustrating for our fan base. We are not blind to that at all. I am certainly not blind to that. I hear it, I recognize it – sometimes from my friends and family – I also strongly believe that what we are doing is the right thing for our franchise to achieve our goals.”
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