With the New York Mets’ season appearing to spiral further with each passing day, many fans are rightfully placing the blame on David Stearns.
This team’s roster construction was risky heading into the season due to players’ past performances, injury histories, and the departure of proven veterans in favor of new faces.
The gamble has certainly become evident, as Luis Robert Jr. and Jorge Polanco have combined to miss significant time, while several other parts of the roster have been plagued by inconsistency and underperformance.
However, you can’t place all the blame on David Stearns.
In a press conference, Francisco Lindor said, “We failed Mendy. I failed Mendy. I didn’t play to my capability to help him win as many games as we could. And yeah, this one’s on us as well.”
Honestly, he isn’t wrong.
I had the opportunity to attend both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs.
I watched Nolan McLean melt down after the fourth inning as the Cubs scored 10 unanswered runs.
Three hours later, I watched the Mets commit six errors in a MLB game, which ultimately led to Carlos Mendoza’s dismissal.
There have been so many putrid performances from different players that it’s becoming difficult to keep track of them all.
Kodai Senga has an ERA nearing 10. A majority of the lineup owns an OPS under .700.
The defensive mistakes have been laughable and cringe-inducing. David Peterson pitched so poorly that he was traded to the same team the Mets were in the middle of a series against.
The number of players on this roster with significant roles and contracts who are producing so little is downright embarrassing.
Yes, Sean Manaea has pitched better lately, but he still owns a 4.87 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and has pitched more than six innings only once this season.
David Stearns didn’t expect Sean Manaea to go from pitching like an ace in 2024 to reverting closer to his career norms.
It’s also alarming that Kodai Senga still has an ERA near 10 and a WHIP close to 2.
He looked much better against the Phillies, throwing five strong innings, showing life on his fastball, and giving the bullpen some much-needed relief.
Should he have thrown a fastball down the middle to MLB home run leader Kyle Schwarber?
Absolutely not.
But it was progress, and at this point, that’s all you can ask for with the current state of this team.
Meanwhile, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have been complete disasters.
After a breakout 2025 season, Baty looked like a legitimate everyday major leaguer. Right now, he looks much closer to the player he was in 2023 and 2024.
The power has disappeared. There are far too many ground balls, too few times on base, and not enough quality at-bats.
The same can be said for Mark Vientos. The power will always be there, but he continues to chase terrible pitches, rarely draws walks, and has struggled defensively at first base.
What looked like the emergence of a budding star in 2024 has turned into a nearly unplayable, one-dimensional slugger.
Ronny Mauricio hasn’t shown much promise through his first 311 career at-bats. Francisco Alvarez still looks like a solid catcher, but injuries continue to derail him every season.
Eric Wagaman and M.J. Melendez are best suited as bench bats or everyday players in Triple-A.
Freddy Peralta, Bo Bichette, and Marcus Semien have all significantly underperformed.
Simply put, this team isn’t entirely in this position because of David Stearns.
The players deserve a share of the blame as well.
My name is John Pagnotta and I live in Queens, NY. I am a freshman at St. John’s University and I am majoring in journalism. I am a huge fan of the Jets, Mets, Islanders, and Knicks. I started following sports when I was around 7 years old and I have not lost love for it ever since!
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