Mets appear to have a plan in place; it'll be up to the players to follow through
The Mets’ offseason vision came into focus in fits and starts — more improvisational jazz than string concerto — but as Bo Bichette put on his No. 19 jersey Wednesday at Citi Field, things didn’t seem quite so dire in Flushing.
Hours later, when a source confirmed they had acquired Freddy Peralta from the Brewers, it became clear that this might very well become Mr. Stearns’ Opus.
The Mets have their front-line starter, and everyone, too, was excited about adding a young, impact bat in Bichette, even if there are questions as to how smoothly the career shortstop can transition to third. Don’t forget that shortly before midnight Tuesday, the Mets announced that they had acquired Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox in exchange for Luisangel Acuna and righthander Truman Pauley.
And just like that, the team that appeared in shambles a few short weeks ago looks complete – if perhaps in unorthodox manner.
In the process, president of baseball operations David Stearns has shown a sort of plasticity that speaks to his ability to navigate unfavorable situations. He blew up the core, lost out on Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, and didn’t kneel to Cody Bellinger’s desire for a long-term deal.
What he did do was stay focused on the big picture. So when Bellinger reportedly agreed to re-sign with the Yankees for five years, $162.5 million Wednesday, Stearns merely smiled and said thank you for the update. And why wouldn’t he?
As it stands right now, the Mets have an intriguing lineup, and though they reportedly had to part with Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to land Peralta, their farm system remains strong. Add to that, Stearns has built this team without needing to sign players to depreciating long-term deals.
Throughout, Stearns remained convicted in his approach, even when Plan A didn’t pan out, and that takes a little chutzpah and a whole lot of self-belief.
Now, men make plans and baseball has other ideas, but even with some questions, this could be crazy enough to work.
Granted, they’ll have at least two infielders playing out of position — Bichette, who hasn’t played a game at third base since travel ball, and Jorge Polanco, who has one major-league inning at first. But Stearns more or less shrugged at that: shortstops are supposed to be your best defenders, so why not have four shortstops playing in one infield at the same time? (Marcus Semien, at second, is also a shortstop.)
“That’s a pretty distinct advantage,” Stearns said. “I definitely think there’s going to be a learning curve. I’m not trying to dismiss that at all. I think for both Jorge and Bo there’s going to be a learning curve. . . . We’re probably going to make a mistake or two, but we’re also going to have elite range around the infield and that’s pretty exciting, too.”
That seems a little overly optimistic, but fine — let's see what happens.
Then there’s the outfield question: Robert is an elite defender, and just three years removed from his All-Star season, but injuries have robbed him of playing time, and his offense these past two years has been subpar. The key there will be keeping him healthy, while believing that prospect Carson Benge and Brett Baty can pick up the slack. It doesn’t hurt to have Tyrone Taylor’s glove as a backup, either.
But you can rest easier when you have an arm of Peralta’s caliber. Throughout this offseason, Stearns had made no secret about the fact that he was looking for a front-line starter, but noted that there weren’t that many available.
As late as Wednesday afternoon, he said that “whether we get something over the line or not, I don’t know.”
He added: “We’re in that space where it can move markedly forward or markedly backward with one phone call or one text.”
That proved predictive. But again, it’s not just about who the Mets got, but also how. Peralta, an All-Star, pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 204 strikeouts over 176.2 innings. For a team that was felled by short starts and an overtaxed bullpen, he feels like a pivotal missing piece. And though Williams and Sproat are highly regarded, it didn’t cost the Mets Nolan McLean, Benge or even Jonah Tong. Bolstering their pitching also didn’t mean signing Framber Valdez to an unfavorable contract.
Panic buying almost never benefits the power, and this past offseason has shown the breadth of Stearns' patience. That quality, after all, is the thing that allowed him to field questions about Robert and Bichette while 'X' alerts around the news conference room informed those gathered there that Bellinger had gone to the Bronx.
When the Mets signed Bichette right after losing out on Tucker, it felt — at least for a moment — like they were scrambling to get anything done to assuage the sting. But that doesn't ring true anymore.
There’s a vision in place. It’s not foolproof, but there’s clarity in this chaos, and that’s a start.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
