Jon Heyman knows how to grab attention without screaming “fire” in a crowded theater. Dropping a Pete Alonso quote late after the New York Mets lost their first game in several days, he knew exactly what he was doing.

According to Heyman, the negotiations between the Mets and Stearns ahead of the 2025 season had Alonso saying this:

“When my career is being evaluated for the Hall of Fame years from now, you’ll still be fiddling with your [flipping] formulas.”

For the safety of children and to keep grandmothers from blushing, the word “flipping” was chosen as a stand-in for something else.

The Mets lost to the Colorado Rockies with a lineup ripped straight from an analytics sheet. Austin Slater hitting fourth, Andy Ibanez not far behind, and Tyrone Taylor all in the starting lineup together against lefty Jose Quintana had fans knowing before first pitch it would either be a hit barrage or an absent day from the offense. While these players weren’t the main culprits, Ibanez and Taylor each driving in a run and Slater with the only multi-hit game, it seemed like an appropriate time to rub it in Stearns’ face that the team had Bo Bichette and Mark Vientos combining for an 0 for 7 performance and Juan Soto coming up short of playing the hero.

Why this ancient quote actually should matter to the Mets in 2026 and beyond

Alonso represents one voice, but he can’t be alone in thinking the way he does about Stearns. With the current Mets POBO, fans gravitated early to the insight he had with unexpected successes. It worked out well in 2024. Many of the same thought processes have been failing miserably thereafter. There’s an unfair “I know better than you” reputation for Stearns.

Alonso definitely comes across sounding like a jock in a letterman jacket trying to stuff a nerd into a locker. It goes beyond baseball and can be read as something personal. As disrespectful as it may be to see just a small portion of the back-and-forth that apparently went on before the conversation became a short-lived reunion, you’ll find many Stearns doubters siding with Alonso.

Stearns’ reputation isn’t getting any better as a front office executive with maybe one of the lesser discussed weaknesses being his ability to communicate. His vote of confidence in manager Carlos Mendoza came via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com and not a press conference of any kind. A minor reason for fans to get on Stearns’ case, we need to start tallying how many times the way the message was or wasn’t delivered was the real problem.

It doesn’t sound like Mets players respect David Stearns all that much

This story isn’t about Alonso’s over-the-top proclamation that he’ll be evaluated for the Hall of Fame or even about where Stearns has been right or wrong with decisions. It’s his handling of the situation.

When Edwin Diaz was a free agent, the former Mets closer took it personally that he was not contacted about the signing of Devin Williams. This wasn’t wrong of the Mets, but was a failure in reading the room or at least having some sort of added respect toward the player. The right thing to do, apparently, was to let Diaz know they want to sign him while having other plans for the bullpen with a guy like Williams.

Adam Ottavino specifically stated how Stearns is no master at communicating. Although a far lesser player in Mets lore, you can’t be dismissive of the athletes and gain a reputation of becoming unlikable. New York is already less tempting to some for the pressure, weather, and taxes.

The good thing is this is something that can change. The downside is if any aspect of Stearns’ reputation is indeed true, stubbornness is a part of it. Changing a stubborn person, especially when they’ve already set out on a mission, is a lot to ask for.

These are big egos with bigger dollars. Stearns is getting paid $10 million a year by the Mets and many players, including Alonso, are earning more. Alonso wasn’t completely off-brand with Stearns by adding in he’s using analytics and biomechanics to improve from his 2024 season. So there is a shared philosophical understanding?

A lot of what fans and media say about Stearns appears assumptive. He makes certain moves and we find the pattern. Unwilling to reveal the prestige of his act, his tight-to-the-vest act and lack of overall respect from players is the part of this we should be most upset with.