Two years ago if one said David Stearns would miss the playoffs two consecutive seasons there is no chance he would be still employed. What are the fans missing that he still has a job? Minor league development hasn’t been all that great either. -- @AndrewLiv
I don’t think fans are missing anything in the sense that in some markets, Stearns would be out of a job. I do think fans might be underestimating Steve Cohen’s patience and his willingness to give Stearns time to realize his vision -- I certainly underestimated that, to be honest.
More than anything, though, I think Cohen is deeply reluctant to duplicate the kind of front office churn he experienced in his early years. He wants to make the Mets a destination for smart baseball people, and he knows that smart baseball people believe growing an annual juggernaut takes time.
Firing Stearns this year, or even last, would have signaled to anyone considering a job here that their leash is short and their process must work immediately. Whether fans agree with that argument is another thing. I think it’s fair to wonder whether, given this franchise’s budget, a head of baseball operations should be able to turn things around quickly.
Still, if Cohen deemed two down seasons and one miracle postseason was too quick a hook, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides three amounts to leaving the starter in too long. If the Mets struggle to start next year and endure another mediocre summer, I expect Cohen to move on, but he has surprised us all with his patience before.
What the heck are the Mets gonna do at 2B for next season? -- @MichaelTConte
I know this is the underlying premise of the question, but I want to make sure I say it: Marcus Semien has been a good and durable player for a long time. He is as professional and tough as they come. But only one player in baseball has a lower OPS (.652) than he does since the start of last season, and the defensive metrics suggest the 35-year-old’s defense is diminishing, too.
That said, the Mets still owe Semien $26 million for 2027 and $20 million in 2028. I do not expect them to eat that money without first trying to get something out of him in those years -- so here’s what I expect:
I expect Semien enters spring training with a chance to be the starting second baseman, but I expect prospects like Jefferson Rojas, Mitch Voit, and Emilien Pitre to be in camp with him. I would expect Semien to split time at second, maybe with someone like Baty, until either one of them or one of the young guys seizes the playing time moving forward.
And whenever the Mets decide someone other than Semien should be starting at second base every day, I expect they will move him to a bench role because he has experience all over the infield, has played in big games, and is a sturdy veteran whose work ethic sets a tone.
I wouldn’t be stunned if the Mets end up buying out his contract, but I also wouldn’t be stunned to see him finish it out -- particularly if more limited playing time improves his health, range, and offensive production.
Will Brett Baty flashes mean the Mets give him another year? Vientos a goner? Alvarez ever gonna fulfill his promise? -- @jimmyzcb1
I think Brett Baty gets another year, yes. I think the new coaching staff threw some things at him offensively that they are hoping will click, and I think his defensive versatility is treasured by Stearns and Co.’s models. He can be valuable to a winning team off the bench. I do not necessarily think he gets another year penciled into the starting lineup, however.
Vientos is a tough read. I think Andy Green’s firm words about his future recently -- implying, basically, that they aren’t going to clear a path for him to stay here and he’s going to have to clear one himself -- signal frustration.
Even with uncertainty at first base next year, I do not see a path for him there. And if he is a right-handed power option off the bench, he probably won’t get enough at-bats to establish himself.
I think Vientos is a non-tender candidate this winter, though their loyalty to this generation of young Mets always exceeds my expectations. At least a few people I’ve talked to about Vientos think he could find more regular success elsewhere. Of the three guys mentioned in this question, I think he is most likely to depart this winter.
As for Alvarez, he is frustrating because he is so close to being a superstar -- he cares about what he does, his power is incredible, but he just can’t seem to: a) find offensive consistency, b) lay off the high fastball enough to make opponents change their plans against him.
I am not sure he will become a superstar, I think he will become a more valuable big-league catcher, in part because the Mets do not need him to carry a heavy workload while they have Luis Torrens.
If Alvarez can be consistent enough to play four times a week and hit 15-20 homers while not being a liability defensively, that’s a valuable player. It might not be the player everyone wanted him to be, but in a league light on power-hitting catchers who can actually handle duties behind the plate, it’s not nothing.
And maybe he still figures it out and pushes himself into a different tier of player, the talent is certainly still there.
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