When last we met in this space, I wrote about my concerns that the hype surrounding David Stearns and the Mets was starting to feel like last winter's Carlos Correa debacle. Even though Correa is having a poor season in Minnesota, I never really got over the disappointment of how things turned out after the initial euphoria when the deal was announced. In my mind, there is a clear line of Mets misfortune running from Correa signing with the Twins through Edwin Díaz injuring his knee in the WBC, culminating in the front office finally bowing to reality at the trade deadline and acknowledging a failed season. Looking back, it feels like the baseball gods were sending a message: this ain't your year, Mets fans.
I hesitate to lean too heavily on words like "suffering" when referring to fandom. There is much worse suffering in this world than having your baseball team disappoint you, even a serial disappointer like the Mets franchise. I don't want to minimize real human misery. But man, the Mets just seem to find a way to crush their fan base time and again. Following up on a 100+ win season and record spending in the offseason with a dismal sub-500 sequel feels like "old Mets" under the previous ownership rather than the new Mets that Steve Cohen is spending a lot of cash trying to make a reality. This season has been a hard, nasty punch to the gut for Mets fans.
Then, the news came out Tuesday that David Stearns was, indeed, coming to the Mets. It signaled a badly needed brand-new start for a franchise that had taken an enormous step backward in 2023. The bad mojo that began last winter with Correa's deal falling through is finally subsiding. The 38-year-old President of Baseball Operations coming on board signals the start of a new era in Mets history, with hopes that this one features more than ephemeral success. The fan base that has stuck with this team for so long really deserves that.
Of course, David Stearns is not a magician who can mutter some spell that will fix all that is broken with the New York Mets. He doesn't have to be. This is different from the franchise in disarray that it was when Cohen bought the team, only to see things get more chaotic with the hiring and quick firing of Jared Porter. Billy Eppler may have struggled to construct the deep roster necessary to succeed in MLB these days. Still, he's done many good things to stabilize the Mets after the initial year of upheaval with Porter and Zack Scott coming and going.
After David Stearns's signing was reported, I noticed Mets fans on Twitter debating the new PBO's thin record in Milwaukee in signing and developing position players. While the Brewers have undoubtedly done a great job nurturing pitching prospects, the failure to enjoy corresponding success with hitters is noteworthy. But it's not like the Mets were looking for David Stearns to come aboard and "save" scouting and development.
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3 comments:
While I don’t want to disrespect other executives, it feels like the rest of the media has. Stearns has been appointed co-top executive with Andrew Friedman. Friedman deserves his accolades, but other executives have also done well and to feel like Stearns is going to save the Mets feels unrealistic. The other executives aren’t complete idiots and Stearns isn’t an executive that has set the world on fire. He didn’t trade Braun when he had a chance to, but rather extended him and that was a big mistake. Conversely, in Tampa, Evan Longoria was thought of in higher status to what we think of Alonso, yet Friedman traded him. What has Longoria done since then? Nothing irreplaceable. So, pulling the deal off when it should be made is important too. I hope that Stearns can maximize the Mets positioning in the market and the game. It seems like no one has been able to since Cashen.
Stearns has a reputation as a top executive not just with the media, but also with his peers. I don't think the Mets organization needs a savior as much as a really solid innovative executive who's going to be around for a few years. And it does feel to me as if David Stearns is the best executive they've hired since Frank Cashen.
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