David Stearns Weighs in on Carlos Mendoza, Mets' Struggles

Stearns still acknowledged the areas where the Mets are struggling, such as their increased chase rate in recent plate appearances. He also didn't fully discredit the idea that the Mets were still adjusting to the vastly revamped roster over the winter, saying that adjustment periods "especially in New York" are natural.

As cornerstones like Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo departed in either free agency or trades, new faces like Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Luke Weaver and Devin Williams all came aboard. That also doesn't include players from the team's farm system like Carson Benge and Nolan McLean entering their first full major league seasons, with Benge in particular making his MLB debut on Opening Day.

The results from the new faces have been mixed. McLean looks just as great as he did last year, Peralta is settling in nicely as the Mets' ace, and Williams has excelled in both save situations and tied games. But Weaver imploded over his last two outings, Polanco is battling through Achilles and wrist issues, Benge is going through predictable growing pains, and both Bichette and Semien have gotten off to awful starts at the plate.

Regardless, there's no denying that the roster is full of talent, and Stearns is willing to be patient with the Mets finding their identity even if they're facing adversity earlier than anticipated.

"Part of being a good team over a 6-7 month stretch is finding your identity through adversity, Stearns said. "We're facing adversity right now certainly at an earlier stage than any of us expected or wanted, but this has an opportunity to be part of our story - help us find our identity, come through this and understand we have the ability to do that. Based on the guys we have and the quality of work and the quality of people, I believe we will be able to do that."

David Stearns Defends Carlos Mendoza During Mets' Skid

Perhaps the most interesting thing Stearns said to the media was his defense of manager Carlos Mendoza, who many fans are clamoring to be on the hot seat as the Mets slide further down the standings.

"I think Mendy's doing a very good job," Stearns said confidently. "I think Mendy is putting players in position to succeed and we need to go out and play better."

Stearns' stance on Mendoza effectively confirms previous reports that the Mets have no intention of moving on from their third-year skipper at the moment. That's certainly not to say that Mendoza's job is completely safe - the Mets did not pick up his option for 2027, making this the final year of his current contract - but he's not the one swinging the bat or throwing from the mound.

Although Stearns is responsible assembling this roster, choosing which stars to bring in and which ones to let go, his simple, repeated answer of the Mets "having to play better" is objectively true. The Mets' problems are performance-based, and while Juan Soto's return in the near future should help the offense, the biggest thing that will allow them to turn around is for their stars to play to the back of their baseball cards.

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