President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets, David Stearns, caught the ears of Mets fans while speaking with the media on Tuesday.
Stearns told reporters that New York’s roster would indeed look different if he were able revisit the trade deadline.
"If I knew exactly how our season was going to play out, absolutely,” Stearns said to reporters when asked if the trade deadline would have been different with the benefit of hindsight. “But we make the decisions we make at the time with the information we had. I'm very comfortable with the process we went through that led us to those decisions.
“We did not play well during the month of August, and, frankly, at this point through September. We've had various segments of our team that haven't performed to the level that we anticipated as we approached the deadline. Had I had that knowledge going in, yes –– it would've changed what we did."
Since the trade deadline on July 31, the Mets have held a record of 15-26. They have won just two of their last ten games, barely holding on to their Wild Card spot with three National League teams within just two games of New York.
The blame shouldn’t fall on Stearns and Stearns only, who made deals to acquire the likes of outfielder Cedric Mullins and right-handed relievers Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rodgers. At the time, the moves seemed promising for a team that sat atop the NL West division.
Since the deadline, the Mets’ rotation has crumbled. Righty Kodai Senga has posted an ERA of 6.18 since August 1, even being optioned to Triple-A. Lefty Sean Manaea has recorded a 7.71 ERA in that time span, recently being moved to the bullpen. Lefty David Peterson has also posted a disappointing 6.53 ERA since the deadline.
The catastrophic fall-off of New York’s rotation has called for the help of three rookies to try to save the sinking ship. Right-handers Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat have made positive contributions since joining the staff, but the woes have continued for the Mets.
With the benefit of hindsight, Stearns would certainly have pursued proven starting pitchers that would solidify their postseason position. Some starting pitchers that were dealt at the deadline, such as Shane Bieber and Zach Littell, would have brought some much-needed consistency to a Mets rotation that has been torn apart since August. Unfortunately for Mets fans, the baseball gods have not given team executives access to time travel just yet.
New York is barely holding on to the final Wild Card spot in the National League, and there are a lot of question marks around how this roster will hold up even if they do manage to hang on to their tickets to October. With only 11 games remaining in 2025, there is no more room for error in New York –– they have to find a way to win games with their current roster construction.