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USATSI

The New York Mets on Monday formally introduced David Stearns as their new president of baseball operations. Stearns, the former Brewers lead executive, and club owner Steve Cohen held a press conference the day after the team concluded its highly disappointing 2023 season. The Mets led baseball with a payroll topping $343 million in 2023 and finished fourth in the NL East.

Stearns will be the top decision-maker in baseball operations for the Mets, and general manager Billy Eppler will report to him. The addition of Stearns signals a new era for the Mets and heralds changes to the ways they make personnel decisions. The specifics of this remain to be seen, of course, but Stearns and Cohen in their presser did provide a couple of hints at what the coming offseason and longer-term future might hold. 

First, Cohen, while not necessarily committing to spending big once again, said the aim is for the team to be "competitive" in 2024. 

"We're going to be competitive. I'm not going to get out in front of that decision," Cohen said. "I've got a new person here that's going to help me think about things, and I look forward to having those conversations."

Presumably this translates to an effort to contend in 2024, as opposed to some kind of teardown or softer reset. This isn't particularly surprising given the Mets' roster foundation, the team's 101-win campaign in 2022, and Cohen's proclivities, but the words remain notable. 

Related to all of that is the status of slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, one of the team's most popular players and an organizational lifer. Alonso, who turns 29 in December, remains a frontline power hitter, but his status moving forward is uncertain since 2024 will be his walk year. In the absence of a contract extension, it's seemed plausible that the Mets would entertain trading Alonso so that they can get more in return for him than a compensatory draft pick through the qualifying-offer system. 

For his part, Stearns did his best to quash any Alonso trade scuttle. On Monday, Stearns said: 

"I think the entire package weighs into it. Pete is a great player, he is also good in the clubhouse, and he is also home grown. All of that matters.

"I know over the summer there was some trade speculation, and look I'll just say I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year. Pete's an important member of this team, he's an important member of this organization, and I think we're really fortunate to have him."

While there's some room for maneuvering in there -- "I expect" as opposed to "I guarantee" or some such -- it's a pretty clear statement of intentions from Stearns. Whether this also amounts to a more vigorous effort to re-sign Alonso is left unstated, as is whether his trade status could be revisited should the Mets stumble in the early weeks and months of the 2024 season. 

Before any true decision point with Alonso comes to pass, Stearns and Cohen must get around to hiring Buck Showalter's replacement in the dugout. For a long time, it's been speculated that Stearns as head of the Mets would attempt to lure his former skipper Craig Counsell away from the Brewers. With Counsell's contract expiring with Milwaukee, that all seems entirely plausible. However, Counsell is also a Wisconsin native, and he's wildly popular and secure in his current role. To get past those realities at this juncture is to indulge in mind-reading. 

As for Stearns, he's predictably not tipping his hand on the managerial front just yet: 

He did suggest that having a manager in place by, say, December when roster churn is likely to begin in earnest is a likelihood, but beyond that it's an emphasis on process and due diligence. Suffice it to say, the Mets' "manager watch" will be one of the stories of the early offseason and Stearns' first big test as the team's front office leader. 

Of course, it's only one of many tests ahead for Stearns, who takes the helm with high expectations and, no doubt, a mandate to win.