Reese Kaplan -- How Has David Stearns Done Thus Far for 2026?

Well, it’s been an interesting week for Mets fans and media regarding the team, the direction it is taking and the job being done by POBO David Stearns.  To recap this week he acquired free agent Bo Bichette, traded for center fielder Luis Robert, Jr. and traded for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.  For anyone tuning in at the 11th hour it would seem that the Mets were being decisive, aggressive and successful, not simply waiting until 19 days before Spring Training begins before making necessary moves.

So how has Stearns done thus far?  Let’s have a look at the incoming players:

• Bo Bichette — He has a great bat and a suspect glove.  Everyone applauded his arrival though in theory he’s going to be part of the run prevention defense at a new position of third base.
• Luis Garcia — He’s a 39 year old journeyman with a career ERA over 4.00.  His price tag won’t cripple the franchise but his arrival isn’t cause for celebration either.
• Tobias Myers — Oddly, this relatively little known middle reliever and spot starter could turn out to be a hidden gem.  His ERA as a reliever has been 1.65 overall for his career and he could potentially be that final piece of the pen the club has been missing.
• Freddy Peralta — This deal is somewhat reminiscent of the old Johan Santana deal in that he’s here for just a single year guaranteed.  Yes, there is deep history between he and David Stearns, but the lure of free agency could make him a one and done though at a very reasonable price.
• Jorge Polanco — This contract was a little bit of a head scratcher in that he’s never been a top-of-the-list option for clubs trying to reinforce their run production.  He does have a single All Star appearance back in 2019 and his best season was likely 2021 for the Twins when he clubbed 33 HRs and drove in 98 while hitting .269.  Last year for the Mariners he his 26 dingers and drove in 78 while hitting .266.  For a switch hitter playing key middle infield positions those numbers are pretty good, but with Marcus Semien, Francisco Lindor, now Bo Bichette, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio already here it left DH and 1B (where he has just a single game of experience) left for him to play for the Mets. 
• Luis Robert, Jr. — He could be the second coming of a true slugger or he could be the latest iteration in the Jose Siri/Cedric Mullins mold barely hitting the Mendoza line while earning big bucks to play strong defense.  We won’t know until the season starts and progresses.
• Marcus Semien — This trade was essentially a salary dump of a longer obligation to pay Brandon Nimmo and receiving in return the two years remaining for Semien while benefiting from his stellar defense and accepting his significantly diminished production at the plate.  He was fighting off injury last year so it’s possible there would be some rebound offense from Semien.
• Luke Weaver — This acquisition on the surface looks pretty good as Weaver after converting to full time reliever appeared to be quite a different beast on the mound than he was as a batting practice pitcher for many years as a starter.  His price was high and the hope is that he can replicate the two strong years in the Bronx.  His ERA in 2024 and 2025 was 3.21 with 175 Ks in 148 IP, a WHIP under 1.000 and a record of 11-7.  Before that, however, he was a 5.14 career ERA pitcher with a losing record and an ugly WHIP of 1.438.  Here’s hoping 2024 and 2025 can be repeated in Queens.
• Devin Williams — A player extremely well known to David Stearns, Williams was among the best in the game in Milwaukee for several years before hitting the wall for the Yankees this past season.  Here’s hoping it was a hiccup in an otherwise sterling record and he can help ease the departure of Edwin Diaz if he returns to his Milwaukee form where he had a career ERA of just 1.83 with a winning record, a WHIP approaching 1.000 and striking out more than 14 per 9 IP.

Then there are the outgoing personnel:

• Luisangel Acuna — A great unknown with strong legs and a solid glove
• Pete Alonso — Perennially among the league leaders in HRs and RBIs while providing at best average defense at first base
• Edwin Diaz — On again/off again solid reliever who when he is at his best is at a Cooperstown level
• Jeff McNeil — Seemingly on a downhill spiral after his batting title several years ago, his positional versatility became a stronger selling point than his stick
• Brandon Nimmo — A somewhat overpaid player whose offensive ascent corresponded with a defensive decline
• Truman Pauley — A great unknown pitcher with only a handful of games on his pro resume
• Brandon Sproat — He’s an erratic pitcher who can be very bad or pretty good.  Now he’s Milwaukee’s development issue
• Jett Williams — This departure hurt.  He can play infield and outfield, steal bases with abandon and get on base regularly while also providing moderate power for a smaller player.  We’ll see how he progresses as he ascends to the majors

Overall, Stearns’ record here is more good than bad but he has a lot of gambles in his decisions.  Sometimes those gambles work such as the 2024 Jose Iglesias.  Sometimes they are the 2025 Frankie Montas.  The work is still not done as there is no left fielder and no clear answer as to the DH/1B situation.

MACK - The Friday Report - New Bat Lineup, Luis Garcia, DSL Released Players, Updated 40-Man Salaries, Tobias Meyers

 

Good Morning –

 

I'm trying to determine if I buy into the new 1-9 starting lineup. I'm not a sentimental guy and the OG core players that departed gave me very little good news to write about in the recent past.

I like the number of new bats that looks, on the surface, to be creating a more talented hitting lot. I don't see an 8-9-10 creating just dismal results.

I have no idea who will bat where but Soto, Lindor, Bichette, Semien, Polanco, Alvarez, and Robert Jr. each have proven in the past to be more formative collectively than the 2025 starters.

Add to that some version of Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio as DH and your left with one outfield slot to fill.

You can go early with Benge or go defense with Taylor.

The addition of Semien and Roberts also increase your defensive imprint.

It would have been nice to have one more Alonso-like power outputs, but overall, this new 2026 team is starting to grow on me… including pitching.

But that is Sunday’s Report main topic.

 

The Mets are signed RHRP Luis Garcia to a one-year contract.

GROH –                                  

Luis García is the 38-year-old (turning 39 on January 30, 2026) RHRP who recently signed with the New York Mets on a one-year contract (reportedly around $1.75M base, up to $3M with incentives, pending physical).

He's a veteran journeyman reliever with 13 MLB seasons under his belt, having pitched for eight teams including long stints with the Phillies (2013-2018), plus the Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Padres, Nationals, Dodgers, and now the Mets.

García is a durable, hard-throwing righty (6'2", 240 lbs) known for providing middle-relief depth.

Career stats (through 2025): 603 appearances (mostly relief), 28-30 record, 4.07 ERA, 583.1 IP, 547 strikeouts, 17 saves, 1.42 WHIP.

He's been a solid, innings-eating option over the years, with some strong stretches (e.g., sub-4.00 ERA in multiple seasons) but also inconsistency typical of a long-career reliever.

In 2025 (his age-38 season), he bounced between the Angels, Nationals, and Dodgers, appearing in 58 games (all relief), posting a strong 3.42 ERA (with a 3.28 FIP suggesting it wasn't fluky), 55.1 IP, 48 strikeouts, 2 saves, but a higher 1.46 WHIP due to some walks and contact.

Repertoire

García relies on a power sinker as his primary weapon, backed by off-speed and breaking stuff for swing-and-miss.

From 2025 Statcast/ Brooks Baseball data:

Sinker (~42% usage): His bread-and-butter, averaging 96.9 mph (elite velocity for his age/role). It has strong tailing action and induces groundballs/flyballs mix.

Sweeper (~33% usage): A big, sweeping slider/breaking pitch at ~82.8 mph, with excellent horizontal break—great for missing bats (high whiff potential, especially vs. righties).

Splitter (~22% usage): ~88.6 mph, acts as a changeup/split-finger with drop and fade for deception against lefties.

4-Seam Fastball (~2%): ~96.8 mph, occasional use for elevation.

Slider (minimal, ~1%): ~83.7 mph, rare.

He throws from a mid-3/4 arm slot (~44° angle), generating good induced vertical break on the sinker and sweep on the sweeper. The combo of high-velo sinker + sweeping breaking ball + splitter gives him solid platoon-neutral tools, though command can vary (higher walks in some years).

Overall, he's a low-risk, veteran add for the Mets' 'pen—expect middle innings work, occasional setup/leverage spots if he performs well in spring. Solid pickup for depth in 2026!

 

The Mets released:

      SS Yensi Rivas

            2025 – DSL METS:  164-PA, 1-HR, 10-RBI, 33-K, 21-BB, .261/.378/.312/.690

      RHP Sebastian Lantigua

            2025 – DSL METS: 2-G, 0-0, 40.50, 7.50, 0.2-IP, 3-ER, 0-K

      LHP Luis Montero

            2025 – DSL METS:  9-G, 2-1, 5.84, 1.95, 12.1-IP, 13-BB, 8-K

Tobias Meyers

RHRP    6-1    225    turns 28 in August    FA: 2031

Career – 3.3-WAR, 10-8, 3-15

2025 -     0.6-WAR, 1-2, 3.55, 1.36, 22-G, 6-ST, 50.2-IP15-BB, 38-K

GROK –

Tobias Myers’s primary Repertoire (2025 data from Baseball Savant)Myers relies on a mix of pitches, with usage percentages from his 2025 outings:

Four-Seam Fastball (primary pitch): ~45% usage, average velocity around 93.5 mph (topping out near 98 mph in samples), with good carry/rise and backspin.

Cutter: ~19-20% usage, around 87-88 mph.

Slider: ~17% usage, around 84-85 mph (noted for generating fly balls but fewer whiffs compared to league-average sliders in some analyses).

Split Finger (Splitter): ~15-16% usage, around 83 mph.

Curveball: Rare (~1-2%), around 76-77 mph.

Changeup: Rare (~1-2%), around 80-82 mph.

In earlier tracking (e.g., Brooks Baseball summaries for 2025), he leaned on the four-seam fastball (93 mph), slider (85 mph), cutter (88 mph), and changeup (82 mph), with occasional curveball.

His fastball has been highlighted for strong induced vertical break/movement, helping it play up despite average raw velocity.

The cutter and four-seamer are key to his approach (combined often 60%+ usage in some seasons), while secondary pitches like the slider and split help against right- and left-handed hitters.

His repertoire has shown consistency as a mid-rotation or swingman type, with adjustments noted in his breakout 2024 rookie year (3.00 ERA in 25 starts) before a more mixed 2025.

ANGRY MIKE: METS SIGN BO BICHETTE: "ALL WARFARE IS BASED ON DECEPTION..."

ANGRY MIKE

After months of non-splashy moves and high-profile departures, Mets fans finally got to witness the acquisition of the marquee talent they’ve been waiting for, when the Mets signed Bo Bichette to a lucrative 3-year | $126 Million dollar contract. Bichette is arguably one of the best all-around hitters in baseball, an elite contact-hitter, legit power to all fields, and one of the best situational hitters in the game. Mets Nation was glued to every type of screen, all-day last Thursday, expecting that marquee acquisition to be Kyle Tucker. Unfortunately, after an auspiciously cryptic tweet by Steve Cohen, Mets fans received the heart-breaking news of Tucker agreeing to terms with the Dodgers. 

 

The Media didn’t hesitate to run with the narrative of the Mets being the culprit of a monumental blunder for missing out on Tucker.

What if it wasn’t a colossal blunder and entirely by design, starting with the prior acquisitions, the ridiculous $50 Million AAV offer to Tucker, and even the carefully time cryptic tweet? 

 

“ALL WARFARE IS BASED ON DECEPTION…”  

~ SUN TZU

Transformational change is disruptive because it causes fear, is often met with resistance, and creates feelings of uncertainty among employees or (fans), but that is what it was going to take for the Mets to quickly pivot from a tough 2025 season. We’ve seen elements of transformational change being implemented throughout the Mets off-season and if you spend any time on social media, fear and uncertainty is the bedrock of the sentiment exhibited by Mets fans daily. Fear and uncertainty are the bedrock of the sentiment exhibited by Mets fans, prior to the Mets signing Bichette.

It was clear from the start Cohen and David Stearns had a plan from the start, but it was only after the Mets signed Bichette did it become more apparent to fans and the media, who assumed the series of moves they had seen signaled the Mets might be treating 2026 as more of a rebuilding year. Will Sammon of The Athletic confirmed the Mets started dialogue with Bichette in November, which tells me he was the top priority all along and it was important their interest be kept a closely guarded secret. It’s fair to ask, how Bichette was the top priority if they waited until the middle of January? 

Step One:   Vayos con dios Pete…

 

Pete Alonso exercised the opt-out in his contract as soon as the Mets lost their final game of the season in Miami. The Mets maintained dialogue with Alonso, but Cohen made it perfectly clear last winter, he was never offering a six- or seven-year contract offer to Alonso ever again. Without a long-term offer from the Mets, Alonso signed with the Orioles.

Step Two:  Acquiring Marcus Semien -> Bichette’s Close Friend…

 

The first significant move by the Mets made and arguably the most controversial, trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien. It was widely criticized because the Mets have a lot of players already on the MLB roster capable of playing second base, as well as multiple top prospects who could also potentially play second base. Semien is also coming off multiple down years and wasn’t exactly a hot commodity on the trade market.

 

Step Three:  Acquiring Jorge Polanco

 

”The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent."

 ~  SUN TZU

Analyzing the Polanco deal after the Bichette signing shows the Mets potentially had two primary motives for acquiring Polanco, first and foremost, provide insurance in the event our younger players can’t continue progressing in their development. If the Mets truly wanted to convince the Dodgers they had minimal interest in Bichette, signing Polanco was the perfect “bluff” acquisition to throw them off the scent, as the likelihood of the Mets investing considerable resources to a acquire third infielder must’ve seemed like sabotage.

 

“The distance between insanity & genius is measured only by success…”

~ IAN FLEMING

 

Like I always tell my Father when I need an argument to stop, “I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid.” Look, I might be dumb or naive enough to think all these moves were connected, and the Mets took a proactive approach this off-season to execute a plan of attack and did not take the reactive approach many in the media claim. I’m certainly not stupid enough to believe there is evidence to prove the Mets would ever undertake such an audacious and risky strategy, nor would they ever admit this was their approach, effectively ruining their ability to execute anything as diabolical ever again in the future.

I’m an analyst by trade, my specialty is looking for “breadcrumbs” or data points that enable me to accurately forecast an asset’s future value or build an argument to destroy an asset’s current value, for the purpose of acquiring an investment below market value. Hedge Funds commonly deploy strategies such misinformation or deception for the purpose of manipulating their rivals' assessment of a potential investments. That is a “breadcrumb", which makes it hard for me to believe everything that transpired was a random series of events. Tactics such as these don't happen every day, but they are common enough, savvy Hedge Fund Managers operate with a vicious level of skepticism when they find themselves competing for the same potential investment. 

Something Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers never once considered, when they signed Kyle Tucker to an annual average salary worth almost double what Aaron Judge is being paid.

Steve Cohen is a Hedge Fund guy, and like I’ve been saying all winter, if the Mets are too quickly rebound from the tough 2025 season, Cohen was going to have to activate “Sith Lord Mode” and utilize tactics he might have felt were too harsh to use outside of the Hedge Fund industry. Unfortunately, we will never know the truth, but Mets fans can take comfort in knowing the leader Mets Nation is no longer playing games.

“Sith Lord Mode” has been activated…

RVH - The 2025 Mets in a Nutshell (Final Take)

 

What Broke, and What Comes Next

As the Mets’ 2025 season came to a close with a record of 83–79, it was hard not to feel the weight of missed opportunity. 

After a blazing 40–24 start that gave the illusion of a contender, the team cratered down the stretch, playing to a .439 clip post-June 6 and missing the postseason after a 4–0 shutout in Game 162.

But the story of this season isn’t just about collapse — it’s about exposure.

This was the year the Mets’ underlying vulnerabilities were laid bare: inconsistent situational hitting, poor fielding, bullpen fatigue, and rotation instability that compounded over time. At the heart of it all was a run prevention system that couldn’t hold.

The Data Behind the Collapse

Category	RS / RA	Record	Win %	% of Season
Runs Scored	> 4 Runs	61–15	.803	47%
	≤ 4 Runs	22–64	.256	53%
Runs Allowed	≤ 4 Runs	62–11	.844	45%
	≥ 5 Runs	21–68	.236	55%

It’s clear: run prevention dictated outcomes. The team was elite when limiting opponents to 4 or fewer runs and nearly unwatchable when it failed to do so.

The Mets didn’t have a hitting problem or a pitching problem — they had a fragility problem. And over time, that broke them.

Strategic Alignment: Stearns Saw It Coming

"We have to get back to building a team that prevents runs — not just one that tries to outslug mistakes."
— David Stearns, November 2025

Stearns said this at the 2025 post-mortem press conference. His message was clear: this wasn’t about emotions, panic, or scapegoating. It was about structure.

And in the time since, the front office strategy has followed that same calm, calculated, and durable approach:

• Letting go of key veterans like Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo

• Avoiding splashy, long-term pitching signings

• Creating roster space for young arms like Christian Scott, Brandon Sproat, Dylan Ross, Ryan Lambert and Jonah Tong

• Keeping options open for 2026-27 trade flexibility or a big ace addition (Skubal?)

Stearns Said It — Then Did It

“What’s happened isn’t acceptable — but it also doesn’t mean the whole thing is broken. We need to make the right adjustments, not emotional ones.”

“Our goal is to develop and sustain a deep, durable pitching infrastructure... not chase the volatility of short-term fixes.”

This maps exactly to their 2025 offseason actions thus far. The Mets are no longer trying to patch holes with overpaid veterans. They’re building a long-term, controllable, flexible staff — one that can be the cornerstone of a true run prevention identity.

Final Thought: 2025 Became a Stress Test — Not Purely a Tactical  Failure

What’s most striking is that everything David Stearns laid out immediately after the 2025 collapse has now become the actual foundation of the 2026 Mets:

• He diagnosed the problem

• He outlined a plan

• He’s now executing it

• And, it is consistent with the long-term organizational philosophy

His “say/do ratio” is elite — and that’s the strongest signal that the Mets are finally on a sustainable path.

This post concludes the 2025 Season Review Series, but in many ways, it begins the next chapter. Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore how Stearns’ plan is shaping the 2026 roster, farm system strategy, and trade posture, and whether the Mets are truly ready to make the leap from potential to performance.