The first big domino in this terrible season for the Mets fell last week with the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza, who was in the final year of his contract. Andy Green will manage the team for the remainder of the season. He will return to the front office at the end of the year, and the club will look for a new captain at the start of the season.
President of baseball operations David Stearns will have the opportunity to lead that recruiting process. Owner Steve Cohen reiterated his faith in his baseball operations leader this week, telling Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post that he is not looking at a change at the top of the front office.
“It’s a five-year contract and we’re going to finish that contract,” Cohen said on Sherman’s and Heyman’s The Show podcast. The owner praised Stearns’ communication skills and expertise before elaborating on his thought process:
“We’re two-and-a-half years under contract. Everybody forgets, do you get credit in ’24? That doesn’t count? We almost made it to the World Series. That was just two years ago,” Cohen said. “It’s a mixed record. I wouldn’t say it’s going well, but it’s too early to make an assessment. I feel strongly that if we’re going to burn and explode, that’s a very bad place. Every time you burn and burn, the next time nobody wants to come. Will someone put their work in your hands if you’re going to expire?”
In response to a follow-up question about whether Stearns was undoubtedly locked in at the end of his deal in 2028, Cohen replied that “there’s no certainty in anything” and he’ll “evaluate as it goes.” He said it is unlikely that the team will make a change before the last year of the agreement. “A change that can’t be made will take David out right now, I won’t do it. Now if we get to the fifth year and our performance continues to be difficult, then everything is fine.”
The Mets and Stearns signed the aforementioned five-year contract through the end of the 2023 season. It had been an open secret for years that Cohen was eyeing Stearns, who had led the Brewers to four playoff appearances in seven seasons from 2016-22. He stepped down from the top of baseball in Milwaukee at the end of ’22 but was under contract for another season, so he served as an adviser to his longtime lieutenant Matt Arnold.
Stearns, who grew up a Mets fan in Manhattan, took a job with New York when his contract with the Brewers expired. He moved on from Buck Showalter and hired Mendoza a few months later. The Mets went 89-73 and earned a Wild Card berth in the first season of the Stearns/Mendoza era. They beat Milwaukee in the Wild Card Series and beat Philadelphia in the Division Series before dropping a six-game NLCS to the eventual champion Dodgers.
The Mets are on pace to make their second straight playoff appearance last year. They split after the trade deadline and ended up out of the playoff field in a tiebreaker over the Reds 83-79. Their 36-51 record this season ranks them ahead of only the Rockies, Royals, Giants and Angels. In the last calendar year, only Colorado, Halos and Minnesota had a worse record.
Cohen and Stearns signed a record-breaking $765MM deal Juan Soto contract through the 2024-25 season. He has a .274/.399/.536 batting line in his 1000 plate appearances as a Met, giving him the fifth-highest OPS among professional hitters since the start of last year.
That signing worked, but the club’s other moves from last summer mostly didn’t pan out. They traded free agents Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, Cedric Mullins again Gregory Soto Last summer. Only Rogers played up to expectations, while Helsley and Mullins had poor finishes.
They responded to the slump of the last season with a brand new show in the winter. Pete Alonso again Edwin Díaz he left in free agency, as did all of last year’s deadline acquisitions. They left by boat Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien in the exchange of underwater contracts. Jeff McNeil went to A at the salary dump.
New York is signed Bo Bichette to a monster three-year, $126MM deal and exit within hours of being missed Kyle Tucker. Pick them up Devin Williams again Luke Weaver of the barn, signed Jorge Polanco playing first base, earned Luis Robert Jr. to manage the middle field, and sell Freddy Peralta as co-ace ne Nolan McLean.
Only Weaver was unequivocally good on that team. Bichette and Williams have started to turn things around after a rough start. Robert and Polanco have been injured for nearly every season, which isn’t a huge surprise given their injury history. Peralta has a 5.00 earned run average and a career low strikeout rate. Semien had a bad season on both sides of the ball while playing through a torn hip flexor that could sideline him for several months.
Much of the focus in the offseason was on improving the interior defense. In the first half of the season, their infield is 25th in Outs Above Average after finishing in the middle of the pack in 2025. Some of it is due to loss. Francisco Lindor to injury, but Semien’s struggles and rebounds from Brett Baty again Mark Vientos major features.
The Mets are clearly trending at the trade deadline. Peralta appears to be a near-lock to go. They are not currently injured Clay Holmes he may be given the option to decline his $12MM player option and become a free agent. There are strong chips with trading potential in the bullpen (eg Weaver, Huascar Brazoban, AJ Minter, Brooks Raley). As discussed on the MLBTR podcast this week, they may be looking at some kind of conditional cash consideration to entertain trade scenarios involving Bichette. Cohen downplayed the possibility that Soto or Lindor would be removed.
Fans are encouraged to listen to the full podcast episode to get more from Cohen on his approach to becoming a team owner, the decision to leave Mendoza, the state of the farm system, and the CBA negotiations.
