David Stearns: “What We’ve Done Previously Has Not Been Good Enough”
“That is an enviable place for any organization to be.” – David Stearns on the New York Mets
David Stearns made his first public comments following a flurry of Mets moves—and lack thereof—at an event at Citi Field today.
“What we’ve done previously has not been good enough,” he said of the team’s performance the last couple of years. “We all know that, I certainly know that, and we’ve got to do better. And we’re committed to doing that.” He mentioned that he has even received calls from friends and family asking what the Mets’ plan is. He stated that from ownership down, the Mets are committed to ensuring the next five years are an improvement on the previous five, when the team made the postseason just twice.
On the State of the Mets Roster
Through his comments, he painted a picture of a Mets team with a strong foundation to build upon between now and opening day. Stearns mentioned that the Mets have MVP-caliber talent at the top of their roster, players who are establishing themselves in the majors and have the potential to take the next step forward in 2026, and exciting young prospects ready to join the majors.
Stearns also made it clear that there will be additions to the roster before Opening Day, saying, “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.”
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
On the Mets’ Rotation
Stearns mentioned that the Mets expect bounce-back seasons from Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea while looking forward to potential steps forward from Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and a healthy Christian Scott.
When asked if the Mets are planning to bring in a top-of-the-rotation starter, Stearns said that is something they are still “seeking to add.”
On Run Prevention
Since his first press conference after the 2025 season, Stearns has hammered the Mets’ need to improve their defense. Stearns spoke with opposing executives and coaches about the Mets, and the overwhelming response he received back was that their defense “wasn’t close to good enough.”
Adding a Gold Glove second baseman in Marcus Semien helps. Jorge Polanco spent last season learning first base with the Mariners, and the Mets believe he will be a quality defender there. Improving their pitching also helps with run prevention—the Mets have already added arms like Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the bullpen.
Stearns has also stressed that players on the 2025 roster need to improve their defense and believes that the hiring of Kai Correa as the bench coach will be pivotal there. Outfielder Juan Soto is one of those players he believes will improve defensively next year.
Pete Alonso by Roberto Carlo
On Difficult Departures
Stearns touched on the departures of fan favorites Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. He stated that they are players “who have performed really well here, people we care a lot about, players that our fans care a lot about who have meshed well with our community, who have done what we as an organization have asked them to do for a long time, and that’s really tough, and we all recognize that.”
He discussed his belief that the roster flexibility, players added, and players yet to be added to the roster will help the Mets “win more games and meet the lofty expectations that we have for ourselves.”
The most important thing Stearns wanted to get across to Mets fans who may be frustrated is that they are “convicted that what we are doing is the right thing for our franchise going forward to accomplish our goals of creating a consistent playoff team, a team that year after year is a true World Series contender, and ultimately a team that does what we are all here to do, which is to win a World Series. And that’s why we are doing all of this.”
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