Paul Articulates – Predicting future moves for the Mets

There is no shortage of critics of the way the New York Mets performed this year, and most of them focus their ire on the team’s President of Baseball Operations David Stearns.  Stearns really heard it from the home crowd during last week’s series with the Baltimore Orioles and their star Pete Alonso.

But despite those feelings, it is very clear that owner Steve Cohen has not abandoned his faith in Stearns and is determined to give it another go in 2027.  Cohen is a pretty smart man who has excelled in a financial world where few find his level of success, so his decision making ability is very sound.  We’re going to trust that ability and assume that Stearns is capable of making the calls on building a successful Mets franchise for next season.  So the natural question becomes, what is he going to do?  Here are my predictions:

1) Stearns will not stand pat on the team’s starting pitching.  Despite the very positive developments of young starters Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton and some pretty good pitching depth behind them, Stearns is going to look for a top notch starting pitcher.  He knows that pitching rosters can be volatile because of injuries and overuse, so having three strong starters plus guys like Tong, Santucci, and Wenninger in the wings is not enough.  Expect him to make a splash with a top name this off-season.

2) Stearns has predictably operated a revolving door on the relief pitching roster.  He knows, as we all do that there are very few relievers that sustain a high level of performance year after year.  Yesterday’s stars (remember Edwin Diaz) are today’s busts.  So Stearns will supplement some of the rostered relievers (Nunez, Duarte, Lavender, and Warren) with some new blood fresh off the free agent market.  That doesn’t mean that established players like Kodai Senga and a returning Reed Garrett won’t have jobs, but they will earn them in spring training.

3) With four sound outfielders on the roster in Soto, Benge, Ewing, and Morabito, don’t look for any big outfield names to get introduced at a winter podium for the Mets.  Stearns will, as always, bring in a few veteran free agent outfielders on one-year, $1M deals and let them compete for a spot.

4) Emboldened by the decisions to advance Carson Benge to the opening day roster and promote AJ Ewing in mid-May, Stearns will take a much more aggressive stance in adding a young middle infielder.  He has plenty of choices in the loaded minor league system, but my bet is that Jefferson Rojas or Emilien Pitre get lots of spring playing time with the big club with a shot at the opening day roster.  If Bo Bichette opts out, start thinking more than one getting a shot.  It won’t be Maurico or Baty – it will come from the new young crop of talent.

5) Stearns throws an olive branch to the Mets’ faithful and acquires a legitimate full time first baseman.  Sorry Jared Young, you had a terrific run in 2026 and established yourself as worthy of a MLB roster spot, but the Mets are going big on a power-hitting 1B even if it costs them some serious trade collateral.  Just as the trade deadline went, there are very few names that would be protected from a trade that would attain a headline name like Josh Naylor.  Even bolder, he may move a controllable player like Francisco Alvarez plus a minor leaguer for another controllable player like Nick Kurtz or Spencer Torkelson.