David Stearns, the New York Mets president of baseball operations, has had his fair share of criticisms over the last few seasons. Why? Stearns has made questionable signings and moves that many have not liked at all. To be honest, many of those harsh critics are right, he has made many mistakes. However, after the Mets swept the Detroit Tigers thanks to some rookies, Stearns has one massive strength.
One Strength of David Sterns as Mets GM
Stearns, Uhm… Questionable Moves
Frankie Montas, 2-year, $34M contract
Sean Manaea, 3-year, $75M contract
Jorge Polanco, 2-year, $40M contract
Bo Bichette, 3-year, $126M contract
DFA Rico Garcia
And other moves. This has lead to a lot of people saying that Stearns isn’t a very good general manager. Those claims went up in 2025 when the Mets started 45-24 and somehow managed to miss the playoffs. This season, the Mets haven’t exactly done too well either, and in part because Stearns decided to allow Pete Alonso to walk and for trading Brandon Nimmo.
Without Nimmo and Alonso, the offense has been very bad. And to make matters worse, guys like Polanco haven’t played much at all this season which doesn’t look good. Such a year may have some wondering if the Mets need to do a quick rebuild. However, even with that, Stearns is showing one big talent.
David Stearns Has Drafted Very Well
Stearns has drafted the following players:
Stearns Has Also Had Some Other Insane Moves
Some of Stearns most insane moves were…. Insane.
In December 2015, Stearns traded Adam Lind to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects and Freddy Peralta. Lind would only play two seasons after that trade and perform pretty well before retiring, proving the trade to be a good one for Stearns. Better yet, Peralta would eventually go on to be an ace for the Brew Crew. Of course, the Mets and Stearns would actually go on to trade for Peralta over the last offseason. Overall though, the trade was a big win for Stearns, who got a heck of a pitcher.
Stearns while in Milwaukee traded for superstar Christian Yelich for two prospects who did nothing in the MLB. Only one would play in the majors and didn’t last long, the other wouldn’t. Yelich would go on to win the NL MVP and be a cornerstone of the Brewers offense for a while. Unfortunately, Yelich since 2021 has struggled to stay healthy, but he is amazing nevertheless.
In one of the more recent moves, Stearns signed former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes to a 3-year, $38M contract. The contract was a great move, as Holmes has a 1.86 ERA so far this season and had a 3.63 ERA in 2025. Only 38 million for such a good performance is very good deal for Stearns as well.
Overall, Stearns has had his up and downs in his Mets and Brewers tenure. However, it is clear that he has some good talent. Stearns is among the games best at drafting. That is a big win for the Mets who need their GM to make those good decisions.
