{"id":13590,"date":"2024-11-29T08:29:08","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T08:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=13590"},"modified":"2024-11-29T08:29:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T08:29:08","slug":"2024-mets-report-card-david-stearns-president-of-baseball-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=13590","title":{"rendered":"2024 Mets Report Card: David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"2024<\/h3>\n

Grade: A<\/h3>\n

2024 Review<\/h3>\n

The Mets have had to endure brutal stretches in the front office in the past. Brodie Van Wagenen handing $20 million to Jed Lowrie,<\/strong> 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,<\/strong> for example. Or Omar Minaya giving Jason Bay $66 million.<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong> Those two stand as perhaps the most famous general managers of all time, yet David Stearns isn\u2019t far behind \u2014 and might even be at the same level.<\/p>\n

The Mets clearly had their sights set on Stearns, wasting no time hiring him as soon as the 2023 season ended. His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 spoke for itself \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

Stearns\u2019 offseason moves sparked plenty of debate, especially for a 2024 season meant to be a \u2018transitional year.\u2019 First of all, his choice of manager: Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza was largely unknown, and many questioned Stearns\u2019 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).<\/p>\n

These moves were criticized, given Severino\u2019s injury history, Bader\u2019s inconsistent bat, and Manaea\u2019s uneven performances in recent seasons. Yet despite these challenges, these moves worked to perfection \u2014 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong> 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.<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

As the Mets fought their way back into contention, Stearns knew the playoffs weren\u2019t 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\u2019 farm system. If Rhylan Thomas,<\/strong> 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,<\/strong> Paul Blackburn,<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Stearns\u2019 ability to strengthen the team without sacrificing the future is admirable. He didn\u2019t 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\u2019 best hitter in the postseason, while Stanek was their most reliable reliever.<\/p>\n

Stearns also wasn\u2019t 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\u2019t like Stearns gave up on Baty right away. He stuck with him until the very last straw \u2014 Baty\u2019s 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\u2019s season and making way for Swaggy V to take over. It\u2019s even reasonable to say that he could have called up Vientos even earlier given Baty\u2019s struggles offensively.<\/p>\n

Outside of Vientos, the pitching staff received a huge boost from the performances of previously inconsistent David Peterson and long man Jos\u00e9 Butto. After Peterson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

As established earlier, no leader is perfect \u2013 everyone makes mistakes. Stearns signed Joey Wendle,<\/strong> Jorge Lopez,<\/strong> and Jake Diekman,<\/strong> while also trading for Adrian Houser and Huascar Brazob\u00e1n \u2014 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\u2019s not quite Jed Lowrie, but it\u2019s close. It became clear that players like Wendle, Diekman, Lopez, Houser, and Omar Narv\u00e1ez<\/strong> weren\u2019t contributing. So Stearns made the tough decision to cut them loose, preventing wasted roster spots. When things weren\u2019t working, he had the guts to move on.<\/p>\n

2025 Overview<\/h3>\n

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\u2019t 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<\/strong> that \u201cthere are going to be times\u2026where we can go after premium free agents and execute very aggressive buy-side trades.\u201d If there\u2019s 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,<\/strong> this offseason will reveal just how aggressive Stearns plans to be in shaping the Mets\u2019 present and future.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations 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 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n2024 Mets Report Card: David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=13590\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2024 Mets Report Card: David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"David Stearns, President of Baseball Operations Grade: A 2024 Review The Mets have had to endure brutal stretches in the front office in the past. 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