The New York Mets‘ front office comes under further scrutiny, as the club has fallen well short of expectations. Nearly halfway through the season, they are 12 games under .500 and looking like a rudderless ship.
Ken Rosenthal published a piece on The Athletic highlighting front offices that are currently on the hot seat. At the top of his piece sat David Stearns, president of baseball operations for the Mets.
Cohen pursued Stearns for years, hoping to get something similar to what Andrew Friedman has done for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets made the postseason under Stearns’ first season. They haven’t been back since.
Rosenthal called it an “upset” if the Mets cut ties with Stearns after the season.
Mets PBO David Stearns on the Hot Seat
GettyDavid Stearns offseason overhaul has backfired on the Mets, leading to increased scrutiny about his ability to assemble a consistent winner in New York. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Mets have the second-highest luxury tax payroll in MLB in 2026 at $367 million, according to Roster Resource. Of the five teams that have a payroll north of $300 million, they are the only one not currently holding a postseason spot.
Mets owner Steve Cohen set strong expectations for 2026, stating that making the postseason is the standard for success. Those hopes have all but faded, as FanGraphs gives New York only a 6.9% chance of getting in entering play into the team’s 81st game of the season. That’s a situation that Cohen described as “not good” before the season.
Stearns did a massive overhaul of the roster in the offseason. The Mets said goodbye to long-tenured veterans Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. After the changes, they have one of the worst records in baseball at 34-46.
The new additions have hardly done much to make the Mets better. Marcus Semien has been below replacement level by both WAR metrics. Freddy Peralta is having the worst season of his career since becoming a full-time starting pitcher. Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. have barely played at all.
His two bullpen signings at least have worked out to some degree. Luke Weaver has a 2.18 ERA on the season, continuing to be a key leverage arm. Closer Devin Williams has slowly rebounded from a rough start to the season, pitching scoreless baseball in 16 of his last 19 outings. His ERA has dropped from 10.29 to 4.62 over that stretch.
Rosenthal likened Stearns’ struggles to work in a larger market and budget to when Andrew Friedman started with the Dodgers. However, the Dodgers have yet to miss the postseason under him.
With that type of season, changes are inevitable. Most likely, manager Carlos Mendoza will be dismissed. The only question might be when.
Mets Having an Embarrassing 2026 Season
To say the Mets are struggling in 2026 is an understatement. Injuries to their starting lineup and rotation have undercut their season before it ever truly began. They had a 12-game losing streak on April 9-22, but have otherwise been a .500 team.
The Mets have shown in spurts this season how things can go from bad to worse. Broadcasters Steve Cohen and Ron Darling spoke about the team’s direction at the end of their listless loss to the Cubs. It was a game in which they committed six errors and surrendered five unearned runs before losing by that margin.
Cohen described the teams in the pits of despair, citing their struggles with the rotation and lineup. The Mets are 28th in rotation ERA (4.97) and 28th in wRC+ (90) on the season. Having those two things at the same time has made it difficult for the team to win games.
Darling responded with how every person in the organization, from players to baseball operations, should be evaluated for their future fit. The two people who will draw the largest scrutiny will be Carlos Mendoza and David Stearns.
Mets’ David Stearns Facing Increased Scrutiny Amid Disastrous 2026 Season