Grade: A
2024 Review
The Mets have had to endure brutal stretches in the front office in the past. Brodie Van Wagenen handing $20 million to Jed Lowrie, the invisible man. Then there are the guys who made positive contribuitions to the organization but made some baffling moves along the way. Steve Phillips sending Scott Kazmir away for Victor Zambrano, for example. Or Omar Minaya giving Jason Bay $66 million.
No executive can be perfect; they all have their flaws. But they can strive to emulate the best of the best. Theo Epstein. Billy Beane. Those two stand as perhaps the most famous general managers of all time, yet David Stearns isn’t far behind — and might even be at the same level.
The Mets clearly had their sights set on Stearns, wasting no time hiring him as soon as the 2023 season ended. His résumé spoke for itself — he guided the small-market Brewers to four consecutive postseason appearances from 2018 to 2021. He orchestrated the trade that brought Christian Yelich to Milwaukee and became one of the youngest general managers in MLB history, taking over the Brewers at just 30 years old.
Stearns’ offseason moves sparked plenty of debate, especially for a 2024 season meant to be a ‘transitional year.’ First of all, his choice of manager: Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was largely unknown, and many questioned Stearns’ decision. Mendoza ended up finishing third in the 2024 Manager of the Year voting. Many also questioned the short-term, high-average annual value contracts he handed out to players like starting pitcher Luis Severino (one year, $13 million), defensive wizard Harrison Bader (one year, $10.5 million), and left-hander Sean Manaea (two years, $28 million).
These moves were criticized, given Severino’s injury history, Bader’s inconsistent bat, and Manaea’s uneven performances in recent seasons. Yet despite these challenges, these moves worked to perfection — each of the three players exceeded expectations by far. Manaea pitched like an ace, Severino performed like a reliable #3 starter, and Bader excelled in center field.
Stearns was also a magician at finding bargains. While perhaps Manaea, Severino, and Bader were some of the more lucrative contracts he gave out, some other moves flew under the radar. He acquired a solid fourth outfielder in Tyrone Taylor and signed an unknown reliever in Danny Young. And on December 4th, one of the most productive Mets of all of 2024 was signed to a minor league contract. OMG. He also added some underrated depth pieces, like veteran catcher Luis Torrens. Each move, while low-profile, was calculated to strengthen the roster without breaking the bank. Stearns knew that in a long season, these seemingly small moves would help push the Mets past the finish line.
As the Mets fought their way back into contention, Stearns knew the playoffs weren’t guaranteed with the NL Wild Card chase wide open. Unlike some teams on the fence, such as the Cardinals, who traded Tommy Edman for Erick Fedde and began rebuilding, Stearns carefully preserved the Mets’ farm system. If Rhylan Thomas, Kade Morris or Tyler Stuart make it big in the league, then a tip of the cap to them, and good luck. But Ryne Stanek, Paul Blackburn, and Jesse Winker all were huge reasons why the Mets made it so far. Additionally, he acquired Phil Maton for just cash considerations. Maton delivered a 2.51 ERA in the regular season, providing tremendous value for virtually nothing.
Stearns’ ability to strengthen the team without sacrificing the future is admirable. He didn’t trade away any top prospects but still got solid production from the players he brought in, who contributed in key roles across the bullpen and lineup. Winker, for example, was the Mets’ best hitter in the postseason, while Stanek was their most reliable reliever.
Stearns also wasn’t afraid to give the younger players a chance to shine. Who knew that come October, a 24-year-old Mark Vientos would be leading New York to the National League Championship Series? The Mets began the 2024 season with Brett Baty manning third, and it wasn’t like Stearns gave up on Baty right away. He stuck with him until the very last straw — Baty’s time at the big league level ended with a dreadful .229/.306/.327 slash line. On May 15th, Stearns called up Vientos for good, effectively ending Baty’s season and making way for Swaggy V to take over. It’s even reasonable to say that he could have called up Vientos even earlier given Baty’s struggles offensively.
Outside of Vientos, the pitching staff received a huge boost from the performances of previously inconsistent David Peterson and long man José Butto. After Peterson’s rehab, Stearns put his faith in the southpaw, sticking with him through thick and thin. Peterson responded by delivering the best ERA of his career. Butto, a mid-tier prospect, was used perfectly by Stearns and his manager, Mendoza. In 30 games (7 starts), Butto posted a brilliant 2.55 ERA over 74 innings, becoming one of, if not the best, Mets reliever of 2024.
As established earlier, no leader is perfect – everyone makes mistakes. Stearns signed Joey Wendle, Jorge Lopez, and Jake Diekman, while also trading for Adrian Houser and Huascar Brazobán — all of whom may forever live in Mets infamy. They were dreadful, to put it bluntly. Wendle was paid $2 million for 37 plate appearances and a .493 OPS. It’s not quite Jed Lowrie, but it’s close. It became clear that players like Wendle, Diekman, Lopez, Houser, and Omar Narváez weren’t contributing. So Stearns made the tough decision to cut them loose, preventing wasted roster spots. When things weren’t working, he had the guts to move on.
2025 Overview
Since 2024 was meant as a transition year, nobody is 100% sure what direction the Mets president will take this offseason. When in control of the Brewers, we know he couldn’t spend money and had to finagle his way into the playoffs. Of course, he now manages the richest team in baseball. Last year, Stearns said in an interview that “there are going to be times…where we can go after premium free agents and execute very aggressive buy-side trades.” If there’s any point to go all in, now is the time. With glaring holes in the rotation and a lineup that could use a superstar like Juan Soto, this offseason will reveal just how aggressive Stearns plans to be in shaping the Mets’ present and future.
2024 was amazing, and Stearns was the mastermind who plotted everything. Making the NLCS in a transition year is awesome, but nothing is complete until he brings the Mets a championship. There is work to be done. Will he go for the big fish in Soto, or will he go for multiple second-tier free agents? Will he commit himself to long-term contracts, or keep the Mets signing shorter deals? Only time will tell.
