The New York Mets are getting an overhaul this offseason, and some of the specifics are starting to come into focus. Mets GM David Stearns determined that the Mets core wasn’t good enough, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, who said Stearns also cited the fact that the Mets have won just two postseason series wins in seven seasons.
As a result, owner Steve Cohen has given Stearns the green late to operate the way he sees fit—I.e., with calculated disciples, according to Castillo—in his third year making the offseason moves.
"I think we're always weighing how certain transactions fit into the larger puzzle of the resources we have," Stearns said at the winter meetings in Orlando last week. "We have a lot of resources. No team has unending resources, and I've said that before. We've got all the resources we need, all of the payroll space. We need to put a really good team on the field. That doesn't mean it's infinite, nor should it be."
Stearns approach to free agency has been different this time around for sure. He let closer Edwin Diaz and first baseman Pete Alonso walk, then replace them with lesser players who fit the role but a cheaper cost.
So what about the trade market, Mets fans are now wondering. Stearns has already traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo, and he’s clearly open to making more deals.
"I think the trade market, in general, agnostic of position, is pretty active," Stearns said. "And I think there's a lot of chatter, and has been throughout this offseason, among teams in the trade market. Seems like teams in general are maybe a little bit more open and willing to be creative, to talk about different types of structures, to talk about need-for-need-type trades at the major league level than maybe we've seen over the past couple of years at least."
The infield is now set, but the outfield still needs to be addressed. Stearns like what he sees in that regard, and he implied that another move or two to fix that situation may be on the near horizon.
"I think between what's available in free agency and some of the names that are being talked about in the trade market, that there's a pretty robust group out there," Stearns said of available outfielders during the winter meetings. "There's a pretty robust market, and we're going to continue to explore that. And I also think we've got some really good internal candidates as well."