Three Things David Stearns Glossed Over at His Press Conference
David Stearns had a miserable season. It was a bad offseason, other than Juan Soto and Brooks Raley. Pete Alonso was a no-brainer, and he gets no credit because he made him prove himself, and he did, and his future with the Mets is still in question. So that’s a wash.
The first thing is. Steven Cohen can’t let David Stearns be the guy to decide if they need a general manager. It’s clear that they do, and it was clear that Stearns doesn’t see the need. With all due respect, this is where the owner must get involved and insist on it. Stearns isn’t versed enough on trading. He has a lot to learn in that regard.
Run prevention is a corporate buzzword. As Stearns tried to suggest, many times in this press conference, they do not go hand in hand. It’s much easier to keep runs off the board with good pitching rather than having an exemplary defensive team. The Phillies aren’t an exemplary defensive team, but their general manager made the right moves at the deadline.
The last part is the concerning part. Saying you’re open to all things regarding free agent signings, especially pitching, doesn’t line up with him saying that you win with home-grown pitching. That’s not an exact science. The thought that two of the three young Mets pitchers can start next season is absurd. Nolan McLean is the only one who proved it and Stearns pretty much said that but then he sold the fan base a bill of goods regarding the rest.
Cohen’s tweet was nice but not effective. Why? Because there was a clear divide in the front office about spending any more big money after Soto was secured. Was that Cohen? Was that Stearns? We will never know, but the fans ponied up their hard-earned money, me included, and got nothing to show for it. That lockdown bullpen that Stearns sold everyone at the deadline was a crock.
The Mets need to re-vamp the analytics department, and the team won’t discuss that publicly. So, there is zero transparency regarding that, but some of the lineups and potential moves Carlos Mendoza made this year came from the back office.
The Mets seemed poised to move Jeff McNeil, and that would be a mistake. His defense, except for two games, was invaluable at a lot of positions, and some of his offense returned. I wouldn’t touch him. II think Luisangel Acun is overrated. I think they have to trade Mark Vientos because they don’t believe in his defense. Get a starter with term for him. If you have to throw in a prospect, so be it. Remember, the Mets gave up three prospects for reliever Tyler Rogers. That was a classic overpayment.
