Jason Burgos
A new report reveals an under-the-radar reason why the New York Mets will definitely consider moving on from David Stearns after the season.
The Mets head into the weekend as MLB’s most disappointing team. They own a sad 22-33 record and are dead last in the National League East. It is a stunning position for an expensive roster with so much talent. And it all follows a disastrous collapse late in the 2025 campaign.
There are quite a few reasons why the Mets have underwhelmed in 2026. Injuries have certainly played a major role in their results. However, they have also gotten some surprisingly poor performances from several key players, with major offseason addition Bo Bichette being the best example. Stearns’ strategy to remodel the roster with contact-driven hitters after their late summer collapse has not worked out so far.
Yet, with June set to begin, it doesn’t seem like the team president is in the hot seat in Year 3. However, this week, The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Will Sammon looked at an under-the-radar issue that could lead to his dismissal after the season: The lack of prospect development at the major league level.
NY Mets future doesn’t look as bright as we thought
Several years ago, after spending big on established stars, owner Steve Cohen made it clear he would prefer to build through their farm system instead of buying other teams’ stars. It is a major reason why he brought Stearns in after an impressive tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers. And over the last few years, they have built a good minor league system. Or so we thought.
Yet, Britton and Sammon pointed out on Friday that the growth of quite a few talented prospects has stagnated at the big league level. They note how players like Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos have all seemingly regressed in the majors despite playing very well in the minors. Even after demotions seemingly got them back on the right track.
Beyond those players, Jonah Tong has delivered mixed results in the big leagues after being seen as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Christian Scott hasn’t delivered in the majors. Nolan McLean looked like a future star in 2025 and has taken a big step back this year. And making matters worse is that no Mets youngsters appeared in an updated ranking of the top 50 prospects in baseball right now.
For the executive tasked with building the future along with a contending team right now, Stearns doesn’t have a lot to show for his efforts at the moment. And that is not a good thing for his job security if they don’t turn things around in 2026.
