Mets' David Stearns discusses trade deadline, injuries and manager ahead of series with Dodgers
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media before a game between the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
David Stearns admitted he wasn’t expecting to hear a question about the “grieving process” surrounding the team he constructed turning into one that could become a shell of itself.
“I don't know exactly what the stages of grief are,” the Mets’ president of baseball operations said Friday during his regular homestand news conference, this 10-game homestand being the final one before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
“But whatever they are probably have to wait because we're really busy.”
The trade deadline is 10 days from Friday, when the Mets (43-60) opened their homestand with a series opener against the Dodgers at Citi Field, and the team is expected to enter sell mode. Only five Mets reportedly are on their “untouchable” list heading into the deadline: Juan Soto, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott and Nolan McLean.
So what exactly is Stearns’ strategy?
“I think we have to be open-minded,” he said. “We've been very clear, Steve [Cohen's] been very clear that we expect to compete in 2027. We have to keep that in mind. We also have to make moves that we believe are right for the organization. And so we're sitting here nine, 10 days out from the deadline, and we're not going to close any paths down right now.”
One of the biggest question marks surrounding the Mets and the deadline is what happens with Francisco Lindor.
Lindor, who undoubtedly was the face of the Mets before they signed Soto in December 2024, has a full no-trade clause. The 32-year-old shortstop has five seasons left in his 10-year, $341 million contract, and has not publicly commented on whether he would waive it.
When asked if he would rule out Lindor being traded, Stearns said: “I'm not going to rule out or in any specific player on anything. I don't think that's wise for me to do. What I will say is, we’ve got a group of young players and we've got some potential Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, that we view as our core, and we expect them to be our core.”
Stearns would not comment on the specifics of Lindor, or really any player with trade potential, Friday. But he did emphasize again that he considers a “couple guys who are likely heading to Cooperstown one day” — seemingly Soto and Lindor — as part of their core.
The Mets will have plenty more questions to answer when it comes to their rotation.
Freddy Peralta, whom the Mets traded for in January, was supposed to be their ace but things have gone awry in a walk year. He is 5-9 with a 5.01 ERA in 21 starts and seems likely to be traded, especially considering his $8 million salary this season.
Clay Holmes’ situation is more complex. Holmes, in the second year of a three-year, $38 million contract with a player option for next season, is nearing a return from the right fibula fracture he suffered in May.
Holmes has been an asset for the Mets, posting a 2.39 ERA in his first nine starts this season, and was open to signing an extension with the franchise.
Regarding extension talks, he said Friday: “I don't think there's been a ton there.”
He added: “I think it's just one of those situations where there's a few different scenarios the team can go, and I think it really boils down to what the team thinks is best for the organization now and long-term.”
Stearns declined to get into the specifics of conversations “that may have or may not have occurred” with Holmes.
Stearns did harp on the positives that the “young starters” of the Mets’ rotation — McLean, Scott and now Zac Thornton — have provided. But he said the rotation as a whole is “probably also an area we're going to have to look to supplement as we head into ‘27.”
Walk-year relievers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley also are likely trade candidates, while Luke Weaver — in the first season of a two-year, $22 million deal — has popped up a lot in media speculation.
Stearns was asked about the possibility of catchers Francisco Alvarez (under team control through 2029) and Luis Torrens (through 2028) getting traded, but declined to comment, instead saying: “We're very fortunate to have two really good ones.”
Given the current labor negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement, it’s not a certainty that baseball will be played in 2027. Teams are mindful of that, of course, but Stearns said he doesn’t think “that's a real impactful element of this deadline.”
As far as the managerial opening, Stearns said he still anticipates interim manager Andy Green returning to the front office — Green was the team’s senior vice president of player development before moving to the dugout — after the season.
Carlos Beltran, who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, said Monday that the Mets spoke with him about possibly taking over as interim manager after they fired Carlos Mendoza on June 26. Beltran, who is a special assistant to Stearns, said managing is “on my bucket list” but was noncommittal about being in the running for the Mets’ opening.
Stearns — unsurprisingly — wouldn’t discuss conversations that “may or may not have occurred” with Beltran regarding the opening.
“I love having Carlos as a special assistant,” Stearns said. “He does a great job, and I'm really excited for him and his family about what they're about to experience this weekend. It's very well deserved.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
