Reese Kaplan -- Is David Stearns Baseball Similar to the de Roulet Era?

Back in the de Roulet days Mets fans and sportswriters watched in horrid frustration as the team would bypass prime trade candidates and free agent opportunities to push the youngsters and AAAA players through the system in the hopes that one or more of them would catch fire and provide greater value than was anticipated.

Sometimes that approach actually worked.  No one thought much of the addition of Rick Reed to the pitching staff when it happened and instead focused on his picket-line crossing when he needed to buy a home for his soon to be destitute family who were losing their home due to ongoing medical expenses from his uninsured mother who suffered from diabetes.

Unfortunately, if you want to go in the other direction you can fill several rosters of great hopefuls who never fulfilled the best of what coaches and ownership fantasized about happening on the ballfield.  For every Lenny Randle there were numerous others who demonstrated why they’d not only never played in the All Star game but never even amounted to major league regulars in their other baseball employment. 

Things got a bit better during the Wilpon era when real ballplayers arrived and towards that end it was somewhat more parallel to what Steve Cohen did during his ownership.  We all remember the arrivals of credible ballplayers and promotion of solid prospects who did contribute to winning records in many of that era’s seasons.

Right now, however, the Mets fans are trying very hard to be optimistic and excited about all the new faces on the roster as the club progresses towards the start of the 2026 season.  Right now Bo Bichette is showing growing pains at 3rd base.  Jorge Polanco has not yet shown anything at 1st base though he’s allegedly consulting now broadcaster Keith Hernandez about what he needs to do to field the position.  Those roles are well covered and at this point the general consensus is that it’s too soon to panic as there is more than a month to go before the season begins.

However, the de Roulet flashback has taken hold over how other positions are being addressed.  While everyone this side of David Stearns is holding out hope that rookie Carson Benge can catapult himself over a dismal showing in AAA to take over right field, the alternatives are not all that enticing.  Mike Tauchman hit a big home run in his first game for the Mets but putting all your eggs into a 35 year old basket of a AAAA level player with a career .246 batting average is not exactly setting off celebrations.  He’s never had a 500 AB season in his long career.  Ugh.

Behind him you have a younger but even less capable MJ Melendez who flamed out with the Royals.  Yes, his minor league numbers are intriguing, but after having struggled for parts of four seasons, averaging 17 HRs and 54 RBIs per 500 ABs accompanied by a .215 career batting average.  As a 4th outfielder he’s a candidate, but as a starter?  Really?   

While many late preseason additions are being made it would appear that unless they really are going to bum rush Benge into starting they have little on the back burners as substitutes.  They could pivot to the never before outfielder in Brett Baty, but that would then make for three very unknown defensive question marks in the starting lineup. 

Of course, the DH question is very much the same.  As of now will it be Baty?  Will it be Mark Vientos?  Will it be a platoon?  Will they find this year’s over-the-hill DH candidate in free agency?  Andrew McCutchen is still out there are are a handful of former Mets in Starling Marte, Tommy Pham, and Jesse Winker.  They missed out on the minor league contract addition of Michael Conforto, but there you go.  Sitting and waiting while doing nothing of substance has not exactly worked wonders for the upcoming season.