Fans of the New York Mets can’t wait to see David Stearns out of his current role.
Yet, longtime MLB insider Ken Rosenthal isn’t sure it is the right move.
Rosenthal spoke about the potential for the Mets baseball czar to lose his job and warned fans to “be careful what” they wish for if Stearns is eventually tossed out on the street.
Stearns is in his third season as Mets president of baseball operations, with the Mets of course, sitting in last place in the National League East at 34-43. They trail the first-place Atlanta Braves by 14 games entering play Tuesday.
New York has the second-highest payroll in the majors, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ken Rosenthal: The Mets Shouldn’t Rush to Fire David Stearns
GettyDavid Stearns is squarely on the hot seat as the Mets’ 2026 season has unraveled.
Rosenthal is on board with manager Carlos Mendoza losing his job, mainly so fans can get their pound of flesh. But he paused before suggesting New York owner Steve Cohen fully clean house this offseason.
“People are going to want David Stearns gone, and people are going to think ‘Carlos Mendoza has to go. Maybe so,” Rosenthal said on “Foul Territory” on Monday. “But David Stearns, be careful what you wish for. The Mets have had a lot of turnover in the position under Cohen, and Stearns has done some good things.
“He’s rebuilt the processes in the farm system [and] created an environment where A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge could come up and there were spots available for them.”
To Rosenthal’s point, Stearns is the fifth president in Cohen’s six-year tenure, though Sandy Alderson and Zack Scott were interim presidents after Jared Porter’s reign blew up in early 2021.
But Stearns was supposed to be a home-run hire — Cohen’s handpicked man after the Billy Eppler’s rocky tenure — and Cohen’s rep could take a serious hit if he fires Stearns after only three seasons.
“If you change your head of baseball operations, and you’re kind of starting all over again,” Rosenthal said. “Maybe that’s the appropriate decision here, but I’m not sure it is.
“Now if he proves incapable of [making good decisions] and they don’t improve next year, then I think you’re talking about something else, but Steve Cohen has invested a lot in David Stearns, signed him to a huge contract. That was the guy they wanted all along.”
Ken Rosenthal Took aim at David Stearns’ Moves
GettyAdding Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien were two of the ill-fated moves made by David Stearns this offseason.
With all that said, Rosenthal didn’t hold back on his criticisms of Stearns’ offseason moves.
“Stearns is clearly going to have to make better decisions [and] choose better players,” Rosenthal said. “I questioned in January whether they had chosen the right players, and it turns out in many cases they have not.”
Rosenthal took aim at the trade for Marcus Semien and signings of injury-plagued infielders Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette plus outfielder Luis Robert Jr. That history has reared its ugly head again, since each has been on the injured list at points this season.
“You brought in a series of guys who have lengthy injury histories,” Rosenthal said, “and also a guy, Marcus Semien, in decline.”
Insider Sends Warning to Mets: ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’ on David Stearns