David Stearns won over a large portion of the New York Mets population in 2024. How could you not, even with doubts, buy into whatever it is he does? While it’s never a good idea to blindly follow the leader and as a fan you should have your own thoughts and beliefs about what the team should do, some fans are impossible to sway.

Certain Mets fans will walk behind Stearns like the pied piper. Others, living in perpetual negativity after years of abuse by other front office executives and owners, find the worst in everything he does.

The truth is almost always somewhere in the middle. It’s these three that Mets fans might not be willing to admit.

1) David Stearns didn’t have a great first offseason with the Mets

The 2023-2024 offseason was not a perfect one for the Mets. A couple of questionable calls around the bigger ones, most notably the Sean Manaea and Luis Severino signings, helped lead to a slow start to the year. This is a team that began the season with Joey Wendle and Zack Short on the roster. All the while, Jose Iglesias was stuck in Triple-A waiting to be unleashed.

Far more impactful than a pair of infielders who couldn’t hit was the haul of pitchers brought in. Yohan Ramirez was acquired for cash in a trade. Michael Tonkin was a cheap $1 million signing. Jorge Lopez, at twice the price of Tonkin, had a good first month then literally exploded in late May.

The list of failed Mets pitchers from last season who were new to the team is extensive. Shintaro Fujinami never pitched an inning in the majors. Adam Ottavino was someone they pretty much had to sign because they weren’t playing in the market for better ones. Jake Diekman, outside of a victory against Aaron Judge, spent most of the year throwing balls outside of the strike zone. How can we forget about Adrian Houser who couldn’t cut it as a starter and wasn’t much better in relief?

Waiting out the market for J.D. Martinez worked until it didn’t. We can play a game of butterfly effect with this one. Would Mark Vientos have hit so well immediately or was his humbling demotion a necessity? The same could be said of Harrison Bader who started off well then did nothing for the final weeks.

That’s about 8 players who were brought in last winter who fell flat on their faces. A varying degree of expectations—a guy like Short expected to not last long but someone like Fujinami overhyped more than anyone else in recent memory without accomplishing much—Stearns had an offseason that was far from one to repeat.

2) David Stearns’ best moves won’t happen until he first learns from his mistakes

This is where Stearns thrived. If you’re one of those people who don’t buy into Stearns and think he’s going to run this team more like a small market ball club, this one’s for you.

What’s true is Stearns will not operate the same as Billy Eppler who seemed to add at will in free agency. Stearns is trying a more clever approach. Whether advised by Steve Cohen to keep things under a certain budget or some sort of a personal goal of his, the real magic of what makes Stearns effective comes from the Plan-B options.

The midseason acquisition of Luis Torrens was one that came out of nowhere and saved the catcher position from any more Omar Narvaez torment. Cleverly adding Phil Maton early well before the trade deadline turned out to be a much-needed bullpen addition.

The ruthlessness in the way he operated is what made the Mets effective. Some players stuck around too long, but not to the level at which most teams will continue to play someone. They replaced DJ Stewart with the much better veteran bat of Jesse Winker. Ryne Stanek was an important addition even if his best days wouldn’t arrive until the postseason.

Like his offseason moves, Stearns did have some apparent misses in the middle of the year. That’s the reality for all executives, players, and people. You’re never going to bat 1.000.

3) David Stearns knows he’s adding one possible stud player for every four duds (or more)

How can the masterful Stearns possibly do wrong and know it? There’s a reason why the Mets have overflowed the organization with pitchers this offseason. Stearns knows there’s a good chance four out of five are probably going to stink for every inning they step on a big league mound.

What about the other 20%? Find one useful piece out of all of these minor league free agent signings, waiver claims, or players acquired for cash and you can be hoisted up by the fans as Stearns often is.

A lack of developed young pitchers has made it necessary for the Mets to regularly dip into free agency to fill needs. They aren’t built like other organizations who seemingly have a choice between a dozen relievers to option back and forth from the minor leagues. Until this happens, we’re going to see Stearns sign Genesis Cabrera, Chris Devenski, Oliver Ortega, Anthony Gose, Rico Garcia, and be satisfied when one of them has a strong 25 inning run for the club in the second half.

There are two reactions when a minor league signing or waiver claim is made. You can either look at what the player has done well in the past or shrug your shoulders and wonder what you’re missing. In the Mets war room, they see a bigger picture fans aren’t privy to.

The Mets will take their lumps with players they’ve added this winter already. Having accepted it, they’ll be thrilled when a guy like Michael Hobbs turns out to be a gem in the bullpen.