The New York Mets answered the important question surrounding the club on Tuesday with the move everyone expected: David Stearns will become the team’s president of baseball operations.
According to a league source, Stearns’ contract with the Mets is for five years and he will not officially start his job until after the regular season.
Several other important questions now await Stearns and the Mets ahead of another momentous offseason.
Here’s a look at the biggest ones.
What is the timeline for winning?
This question is at the forefront of everything that follows. After this year’s failure, when do the Mets want to try again to win a championship?
New York was, of course, all-in at the start of this season, and before the trade deadline it was safe to assume that approach would continue unabated through 2024. However, with both Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander – and offers for Pete Alonso – the Mets assumed a new competitive window would open in 2025 and 2026.
Kodai Senga, seen here with GM Billy Eppler, is one of the few reliable starters in the Mets rotation. (Brad Penner/USA Today)
The Mets weren’t entirely clear on what that meant for 2024. Both owner Steve Cohen and general manager Billy Eppler said the goal remains to be “competitive” this season (and Cohen said “impressive”), but also acknowledged that expectations would be lower than the last two seasons. Now Stearns can provide that direction in more detail and clarify what “competitive” means in practice.
What does Pete Alonso’s future look like?
The long-term future of New York’s offensive cornerstone and the current face of the franchise depends on this timeline. If the Mets are comfortable with going for significantly lower targets in 2024, it makes sense to further explore the trade market for Alonso this winter. He’s a free agent after next season, a long-term, nine-figure deal for him could start at a two and Alonso could have a good chance of returning.
Of course, there’s also a strong case to be made that Alonso deserves just such a deal, especially given the Mets’ lack of options to replace his skills. He has as many 40-homer seasons (three) as everyone else in franchise history combined.
Is Buck Showalter the right manager?
Showalter was named Manager of the Year for the fourth time last season, providing just the right touch for a veteran squad to coalesce into a 101-win regular-season beast. That magic has eluded him in 2023 as the team generally underperformed and often played sloppily. Showalter has one year left on his contract, and the general preference across the sport is for managers not to enter a season as a lame duck.
There are two competing arguments here: First, the job you hired Showalter for is now different. Instead of catering to a veteran team, the Mets are taking their cue from a youth movement. Maybe Showalter isn’t the best man for this particular gig, and now it’s time to bring in someone who is. Second, Showalter’s teams have done their best when little was expected of them, and therefore the 2024 Mets may be a better testament to his mettle.
Given the time Stearns spent with him in Milwaukee, current Brewers skipper Craig Counsell will be the subject of much speculation. Although his contract ends after this season, he has not rejoined Milwaukee. However, Counsell is a Wisconsin native and may want to follow Stearns’ lead and step away from the daily grind of the season rather than immediately pursue another opening.
And how Stearns sees Showalter is a microcosm of how he might view the larger operation he inherits. How much does he value the continuity of some of Eppler’s newer hires — both on the coaching staff and among a group of front-office officials whose words carry influence — and how much does he want to start fresh with his own people?
Stearns inherited Counsell and longtime Triple-A manager Rick Sweet, so he hasn’t hired a manager at any level.
When asked about his job status before Tuesday’s game — news about Stearns has not yet been announced by the team — Showalter said he “hasn’t thought about those things.”
“This is not the time or place for my thoughts to go there,” Showalter said.
What should the Mets do with their young position players?
On Tuesday night, the bottom half of the Mets lineup consisted of a quartet of significant young talent: Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos. Do they want to make this an everyday dynamic next season?
Alvarez has established himself as the club’s everyday catcher, and Baty, despite his struggles, has had the everyday job at third for most of this season. In a brief snapshot of the bigs, Mauricio has shown elite exit speed and could play second base while Jeff McNeil moved to an outfield corner spot. Vientos has shown flashes of power at the major league level, and the Mets may want to replace Daniel Vogelbach as the primary hitter (or, if they move Alonso, use Vientos at first base).
Trying to bring in so many young players at the same time will cause major growth problems. When I spoke to executives in the spring about the challenges of integrating young prospects in larger markets, one piece of advice was, “Be careful how many you integrate at once,” because the results vary widely. It’s unlikely that one team will attack everyone at the same time.
What about Starling Marte and the outfield?
It remains unclear whether Marte will return in 2023 after ongoing groin problems. In general, Marte didn’t feel healthy all season. During the offseason, he underwent groin surgery on both sides, which left him behind his teammates in spring training. In addition to the groin problems, a severe migraine limited his availability. When healthy, the 34-year-old Marte will serve as the Mets’ starting right tackle. But how much can they reasonably expect from him – and what plans need to be made if they can no longer count on significant contributions?
Last year, Marte received MVP votes and was named an All-Star; As the team’s No. 2 hitter in the rankings, he hit 16 home runs with 18 stolen bases and posted an OPS of .814. He played in 118 games. Marte only appeared in 86 games this season. He owns a .625 OPS. Marte remains under contract for another two years and will receive $41.5 million.
The Mets could use the outfield elsewhere depending on their plan for McNeil/Mauricio at second base and left field; Brandon Nimmo anchors the midfield. However, Marte is an important question.
With Milwaukee, Stearns sometimes had a surplus of outfielders. For example, in 2021 (and without a universal DH), the Brewers started the season with Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Avisaíl García. As it turned out, the group was badly affected by injuries and poor performances, necessitating the depth required. And after the season – when García became a free agent – Milwaukee traded Bradley and two prospects to the Boston Red Sox for Hunter Renfroe. The financial equation might not be different in New York than in Milwaukee, which is operating on a shoestring budget, but the move showed an ability to get out of an unwanted contract (Bradley was owed $9.5 million after having one of the worst in 2021 offensive seasons in baseball). ) while a need is being met.
How much of a 2024 rotation is already internal?
Kodai Senga is on track to win some Cy Young votes, and José Quintana has been exactly what the Mets signed him to be since his debut in July. Thereafter? There was a fair amount of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ from the Mets’ younger starters.
The inability of David Peterson or Tylor Megill to capitalize on opportunities early in the season contributed to the Mets’ fortunes fluctuating. They’ve been pitching better lately, but still aren’t good enough to easily earn a rotation spot next season. José Butto and Joey Lucchesi have performed decently in minor leagues, major leagues, but the fact that they have lagged behind the uninspiring Peterson and Megill all season suggests they are lower in the organizational hierarchy. Mike Vasil is unlikely to reach the majors this season as the Mets prefer to keep a spot open on the 40-man roster.
New York signed three starters in free agency last winter, with Verlander joining Senga and Quintana. If the Mets aren’t willing to hand the keys to someone else in the house, they’ll have to add at least three arms again.
(Top photo of Pete Alonso: Wendell Cruz/USA Today)