Laura Albanese: The Mets need a general manager under David Stearns
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media before an MLB game ahainst the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on July 24. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
And there goes another domino.
In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that Luis Robert Jr. was claimed off waivers by the Orioles Monday. The Mets were never going to pick up his $20 million club option, and the move saves some cash for a team that somehow manages to overspend while simultaneously looking like it’s fishing from the bargain bin.
It is, however, another reminder of how badly the Mets failed in their risk assessment, and exactly how much work needs to be done to rectify the thinking that led to these decisions. It also underscores why this team needs to seriously consider hiring a general manager.
When asked about David Stearns’ offseason moves earlier this month, owner Steve Cohen was blunt, and he honed in on the risk assessment factor.
“When you add risk upon risk upon risk…all of a sudden you can have a dispersion of results,” he said. “I equate it with running a portfolio. The more risk you take in a portfolio — yeah, you can have a major upside but also your downside can be bigger.”
None of this was surprising, and Cohen — a hedge fund manager who knows a thing or two about predicting the future — understands that better than most. Because even as people lauded Stearns’ out of the box thinking in February, the caveat always loomed.
The ceiling here was high, but as this season further proved, the basement is dangerously low.
I do admire Stearns’ willingness to stake his career and reputation on the big swing, but the reality is that he bet on himself, and the house (or, more accurately, baseball) won. Sure, pivoting to Bo Bichette when they lost out on Kyle Tucker feels almost inspired, but with Jorge Polanco out for the season, and the oft-injured Robert joining Pete Alonso in the Orioles' playoff push, Stearns’ offseason moves are a net negative.
That said, Cohen said he’s committed to Stearns and wants to see him fulfill his vision — and frankly, that’s not the worst idea.
Stearns has a method to his madness.
The prospect haul he pulled in during the trade deadline looks promising, as was his decision to all but name Carson Benge as an Opening Day outfielder weeks before the season began. He didn’t get cute by managing Benge's service time, even after the rookie struggled out of the gate, and has promptly promoted players when they've earned it. He has an eye for bullpen construction, isn’t afraid to make the unpopular choice, and, per Cohen, is open to adapting his methods in an ever-evolving landscape. He's been called too analytically minded, but he does understand there's a balance to be found (whether he's found it is another story).
But he has his blind spots.
We’ve already discussed the first one: In an effort to rebound from a disastrous 2025, he took too many risks at once. The front office clearly believed they could “hack” Polanco's and Robert’s injury history via a slow spring training progression and in-season support from their performance staff. Humans, though, aren’t computers. They can bend and break no matter what the science says; often, the past is a better indicator of what the future will hold. Both those facts were undervalued.
And, again, humans aren’t computers. So when you overhaul a coaching staff and gut a roster, there are going to be emotions involved. The 162-game grind reinforces routine, and many baseball players find solace in their habits. It was clearly difficult for some to acclimate to the changes, and it certainly must have been difficult for then-manager Carlos Mendoza to keep a steady hand with new coaches around him — a staff that, mind you, was mostly populated by men who had never played in the major leagues.
While we don’t know exactly how well the coaching staff integrated with this team, it’s safe to assume that players sometimes need leaders who have stood in their shoes and know the psychological toll this game can take at its highest level. Beyond being good at his job, there's a reason catching coach J.P. Arencibia is as popular among players as he is; he, bullpen coach Jose Rosado and quality assurance coach Danny Barnes are the only people on the staff with MLB experience, and the last two are holdovers from the previous regime.
They also need a front office that understands playing in New York is a different sort of creature, and that there are parts of the human psyche that analytics simply can't touch. Add to that: They need to find a manager who can hack it here, isn't afraid to push back, and can tend to the mental and physical intricacies of playing for a big market team that for two years has both reeked of monumental failure and is now a few years away from wasting a near-generational talent in an in-his-prime Juan Soto.
That’s where a GM comes in.
Interim manager Andy Green said he has no intention of vying for next year's managerial job, and until told otherwise, we have no choice but to take him at his word. Recent speculation, though, suggests he might instead be tagged for a GM role.
It’s a great idea: For as much as he enjoyed heading player development, the way Green is handling this team makes it feel like he's outgrown his last position. He’s a former player, understands the farm system better than just about anyone, and is highly respected by athletes and front-office officials alike. He also has enough cache and chutzpah to push back against Stearns if he disagrees with something his boss is doing.
In short, he has the emotional intelligence that Stearns sometimes lacks in his business dealings. If Stearns hires a GM, it’s imperative it not be a copy and paste of himself. He needs a complement, not a twin.
But let’s say Green doesn’t want that gig. The Mets still need someone working under Stearns, and it should be someone in Green's mold.
They have a little more than $240 million committed to next year — a whiff away from this season’s $244 million competitive balance tax threshold, though the 2027 figure is yet to be determined. This offseason will be thorny, and you can probably expect a free agent frenzy before the collective bargaining agreement expires in December — a method of securing expensive players before any potential spending limits imposed by the new deal. The threat of a monthslong lockout is real. Additionally, with a weak free agent class and the season up in the air, there may be more trades than usual. Having another voice in the room can only help.
In that same discussion from earlier this month, Cohen said he admired Stearns’ ability to learn from his mistakes.
Sometimes, though, mistakes are just blind spots. And Robert’s dismissal Monday was further proof Stearns might need a touch more help seeing things clearly.
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.
