u/TobycooklynNY

We know the lockout is a strong possibility. But given that, & the major swing and miss this last offseason from Stearns, what should we expect him to do at 1B?

1. Bold move: Teruaki Sato has big power capability but is a 3B in Japan. He also has big swing and miss potential & has zero big league ABs.

2. Best FA 1B on market: Ty France has turned his career around and become one of the best 1B in NL.

3. Platoon option: Alec Bohm was a negative WAR player in 2026 and is basically a Brett Baty righty clone. That said, Bohm is an elite lefty masher and could be a perfect complement to Jared Young.

I would still try to add another arm like Joe Ryan in addition to a mid-tier signing.

Ryan-McLean-Holmes-Scott-Thornton with depth would be very solid.

FYI as someone who lived through the Mattingly/Hernandez debates when they were a kid, it’s hard to imagine, but I would be fine with it.

Adrian Morejon has only pitched out of BP in his career. He’s only 27 years old and has a career 3.28 ERA. He will likely be one of the most sought after arms out there this offseason.

Why does this matter? A top 6 worst record gets them a higher chance of getting a protected top 6 pick. If they fall out of top 6 their pick drops ten places due to lux tax penalty. Ideally, they lose some games down stretch, get a top 5 pick in next year’s draft.

In a dream scenario, Mets get top 5 pick, Nolan McLean has an amazing final 2 or three starts & steals the NL ROTY Award & Mets tack on another pick after the first round, then their 3rd pick drops to mid second round.

A final thought on this, will see what happens with CBA, but if the lux tax/cap rules are at least close to what they are now, Mets are going to be in very good position for draft & dealing with cap rules starting in 2028 because their payroll is going to be in the 125-150m$ range.

Who’s going to be the manager? I really like what Green has done and I think they still might try to talk him into it, but if everyone is to be believed it sounds like he’s not interested. That said, according to reports, sounds like Green could potentially land a role as GM. So, who does that leave? Beltran would probably be leading candidate, although he has no experience and this has not gone very well with this org. Then, who? Probably someone like David Ross who has experience but not going to cause issues with front office.

Who’s going to be on next year’s starting staff? McLean is definitely showing a lot down stretch. He’s got the stuff and now showing makeup. Scott has stuff but he feels like he’s running out of gas understanding he’s only a year removed TJS. Thornton needs solid defense but I like the makeup and while I think league adjustments will result in regression sliding him at a 4/5 is a nice foundation. Now the wild card, Tong. If he can turn a corner it’s really a game changer. It leaves you with either making a big trade for another starter like Reid Detmers or Joe Ryan or going all in on Skubal. Mets are in position to do either if Tong has figured it out.

Who’s on first? I think Jared Young has earned the right to play full time. No, it’s not sexy but he’s gotten big hits and shown more consistency than Vientos, who I think you have to move on from. Young is also cheap and controllable for next 4 years.

Middle infielders? Semien will be at 2B but I fully expect if Rojas, Voit or Pitre are still here they will challenge him at some point. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Lindor slide to 2B here and there.

Bullpen? You’re finding out how flexible this position is? The BP has been better since they traded everyone (even without Weaver who has been bad with Buccos) & with Senga as closer. That said, I think Stearns is going to do everything within his power to trade Senga even if he has to eat $. I think they’ll start with Williams as closer but the long term one is either in minors, might end up being Tong or is on another team.

In closing, I think there are pieces to be a competitive team and potentially challenge for post season. But, Stearns has to get the next moves right. Another season like this and he won’t survive. Hopefully, we’ll get to see how this all turns out.

To say nothing of the fact they can sign Skubal without losing a pick & will likely have a top 6 pick. This year was awful. But the pieces are here for a sustainable run.

To say nothing of the fact they can sign Skubal without losing a pick & will likely have a top 6 pick. This year was awful. But the pieces are here for a sustainable run.

And if you remember how this story ends, Phillips ultimately traded for Mike Hampton, who won the NLCS MVP, but left for Colorado. The Mets received a compensatory pick for losing Hampton which turned into David Wright.

Will Luis Torrens be the starting catcher over Fransisco Alvarez ?

Will Kodai Senga share the closer role with Devin Williams?

Will Jared Young be the starting 1B?

Will Nate Lavender & Daniel Duarte be mainstays in the pen?

Will Mets decline Luis Robert Jr contract and re-sign him at a lower rate as a 4th OFer?

Multiple reports, including Heyman, say Skubal will try to sign quickly before Lockout. It really only leaves Mets/Dodgers & with financial scrutiny now taking place in LA there’s a decent chance Skubal is a Met by November.

Going to be hard to beat Weatherholt but, given his defense and slowing climbing OPS he could potentially place 2nd over Stewart and Rumfield.

David Stearns has a lot to fix with the mess he has created. That said, baseball is a weird sport. And if there’s a season next year, there is still a possibility Mets can be competitive and win at least a wild card if the right moves are made.

The question is obviously, can we trust Stearns to make the right decisions?

Yes, because he built a team that has been a sustainable winner in the Brewers and they had only one losing season (not counting Covid year) with him as POBO.

No, because Milwaukee is not New York and he doesn’t have what it takes to win here.

Yes, because the Mets system, young talent and future financial flexibility is actually in a better place from when he took over.

No, because he’s shown he will not do what it takes to invest long term in a legit starting pitcher.

Yes, we all understand Lindor wants to stay here and has NTC with Mets. But, Stearns has proven to us he doesn’t care about sentimentality when he let Alonso walk and traded Nimmo.

Lindor will be 33 next year and there have been very few shortstops in MLB history who have been productive at that age. This year, Lindor will have played the least amount of games in a season (outside of Covid-2020) since his rookie year. That said, his production in the 2nd half will show he still has a bat that could help an offensively challenged team.

There will be teams that line up with the Mets for a trade & after the deadline, Stearns has accumulated a list of middle infielders who can potentially have an impact on the team as soon as next year.

At the very least, I would expect Lindor to begin getting reps at 2B next year & to be showing up at DH to try to limit his time on the IL.

Will Lindor get traded? I’d say it’s 50/50. But, this offseason will probably be the last time Stearns could potentially move him given his $ owed and age.

1. Reid Detmers (SP) -Angles didn’t trade him (although there were serious rumors he was traded to Cubs) & he has 2 years of control. Cost would be high but, Mets are now positioned to pay the cost.

2. Drew Rasmussen (SP) -Rays are notorious for trading players in final year of their arbitration eligibility. Stearns drafted Rasmussen when he was running the Brewers.

3. Adrian Morejon (RP) - Mets will have some serious BP construction to do this OS and Morejon has been a solid piece in Padres BP last few seasons. Big key he’s a free agent and only going to be 28 in February.

4. Trevor Megill (RP) - Mets and Brewers have made deals 2 out of 3 last offseasons & Mets desperately need BP pieces. Megill is a pending FA after the ‘27 season. He’s also 32 and at peak value.

5. William Contreras (C) - yes this is the least likely player Mets will acquire this offseason. But Contreras will also be in the final year of arbitration and will be a free agent after next year. I would rank him as number 1 target for Mets next offseason considering Stearns acquired him in past.

His decision has major ramifications of what Mets roster could look like next year.