Overview
- David Stearns publicly took the blame at his end-of-season news conference on Monday for decisions that led to a 74-88 finish and last place in the NL East.
- He said the team will pursue both internal and external answers at first base after letting Pete Alonso walk and seeing Jorge Polanco struggle before ankle surgery and rehab.
- Stearns declared adding to the starting rotation a priority and left open both free-agent and in-house solutions as the Mets evaluate targets and young arms.
- Fans’ anger over Alonso’s departure was visible when the slugger returned with Baltimore, and Stearns acknowledged the emotional and performance cost of losing a franchise hitter.
- Owner Steve Cohen has backed adding experienced voices, the Mets hired Derek Falvey as a senior adviser, and Stearns pointed to a genuine second-half youth surge as a building block for 2027.