Mets owner Steve Cohen backs team’s architect of brutal season, says team will ‘live that contract out’
Just about everything that David Stearns has touched with the New York Mets has turned to you-know-what.
Stearns took over as the Mets’ president of baseball operations in 2024 and made it to the National League Championship Series, but after blowing the best record in baseball last year en route to an epic collapse and following it up with a 36-50 record thus far, Stearns is public enemy No. 1 in Queens.
The Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza, who also joined the team in 2024, last week, but Mets owner Steve Cohen said Stearns will hold his post through the duration of his contract, which expires in 2028 (Mendoza’s contract was expiring after this season).
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“We’re two and a half years into a contract. Everyone forgets — does he get any credit for ’24? Does that not count? We almost made it to the World Series. And that was just two years ago. It’s a mixed record,” Cohen said to the New York Post’s “The Show” podcast.
“I’m not gonna say it’s going great, but it’s too early to really make evaluations. And I feel really strongly that if we’re going to burn and churn, that’s a terrible place to be. Every time you burn and churn, guess what, the next time nobody wants to come. Is someone going to put their career in your hands if you’re going to be short term-oriented?
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“I have a contract. It’s a five-year contract. And we’re going to live that contract out.”
This was nearly impossible to predict because the Mets have the largest payroll in baseball at nearly $330 million, but a 12-game losing streak in April has been impossible to overcome. Following last year’s collapse, Stearns overhauled the roster, but none of it has worked.
The Mets let Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk in free agency while trading Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, and brought in Jorge Polanco, Luis Robert, Bo Bichette, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Polanco has not played since April 14 and Robert since April 26, while Bichette is on pace for, by far, the worst full season of his career. Williams owns a 4.13 ERA after struggling with the New York Yankees last season, but Luke Weaver’s 2.00 ERA is a lone bright spot.
The Mets’ offense has the second-worst OPS in the league, at .673, and their starting pitchers’ 4.75 ERA is the fourth-worst mark. They also have the third-most errors in the league, despite Stearns opting for “run prevention” in the offseason.
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