New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns faces intense scrutiny this offseason after the team's late-season collapse in 2025. Despite a high payroll and strong individual performances, the Mets missed the playoffs, losing a Wild Card spot to the Cincinnati Reds. Stearns aims to rebuild the roster to contend for the NL East title and emulate the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets began the 2025 season strongly with a 45-24 record but faded dramatically, finishing 38-55 over their final 93 games. This collapse cost them a postseason berth, as the Reds overtook them on the last weekend despite Cincinnati's payroll of around $120 million compared to New York's $342 million, the second-highest in baseball behind the World Series champion Dodgers.
Key contributors included free-agent signing Juan Soto, who posted 43 homers, 105 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, and finished third in MVP voting. Pete Alonso added 38 homers and 126 RBIs, while shortstop Francisco Lindor hit 31 homers and scored 117 runs. However, the team lacked an ace starter and sufficient bullpen support in front of Edwin Díaz, the NL Reliever of the Year.
Both Alonso and Díaz have opted out of their contracts, prompting Stearns to express his desire to retain them. At the trade deadline, Stearns stated, “I don’t view this as 'windows.' Our responsibility here is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series every single year. That’s what this should be.”
The Mets' $765 million investment in Soto did not yield playoff success, echoing past disappointments like the 2007 collapse when they blew a seven-game lead in the final 17 games. Under manager Carlos Mendoza, hired after Buck Showalter's departure following a 76-win 2023 season, the team relied on young pitchers Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat from Triple-A late in the year, but they could not salvage the season.
Owner Steve Cohen, a lifelong Mets fan, expects Stearns to address needs for a true ace, center fielder, and improved bullpen to position the team as perennial contenders like the Dodgers, against whom the Mets fell in Game 6 of the 2024 NLCS.