The Mets’ failed Freddy Peralta experiment is squarely on David Stearns

Less than seven months ago, New York Mets general manager David Stearns made his final attempt to prove he understood the assignment. Regardless of payroll or market size, every team should have had the same mindset last offseason: How do we beat the Dodgers? Naturally, it would have been fair to assume that the Mets would have been extremely aggressive, especially following last September’s collapse. 

Stearns had already made fans irate after parting ways with Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Edwin Díaz, and Pete Alonso, the latter two of whom left in free agency. Díaz even signed with the Dodgers, giving the two-time defending World Series champions yet another proven All-Star.  

The Freddy Peralta trade is David Stearns’ latest Mets failure

But the Freddy Peralta trade, in which the Mets snagged a quality starter in a contract year, served as a brief flash of hope. Perhaps the veteran righty was the missing piece for a Mets staff craving a reliable ace. 

Instead, Peralta didn’t even make it to the trade deadline, with the Mets sending him to Tampa Bay on Sunday. You know that it’s been a failed year when the Rays and White Sox are buying at the deadline, but the last-place Mets have accepted their role as sellers. 

What makes matters even worse is that Stearns left the Milwaukee Brewers to join the Mets in the first place. He and Peralta have plenty of history. If Stearns was wrong on a player he helped develop into an ace with the Brewers, how can he be trusted with anyone else?

To be clear, Peralta’s underwhelming Mets stint isn’t solely on Stearns. Steve Cohen has signed off on every move, most notably letting Alonso — the team’s all-time home run leader and one of the most celebrated players in recent franchise history — leave for the Orioles. 

A brief history of bad Mets moves under David Stearns

Cohen has publicly defended Stearns, raising further questions about how emotionally invested ownership still is in winning. With apologies to Mets fans, let’s look at every notable move that Stearns has made since last season ended:

• Publicly backing and keeping embattled manager Carlos Mendoza despite the second-half collapse. 
• Choosing not to offer Alonso an extension. 
• Trading Nimmo to the Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien and the three years and $72 million still owed on his contract. Nimmo has been worth 1.9 bWAR, and Semien has given the Mets -0.7 bWAR in 94 games. Great job. 
• Allowing the Dodgers to snag Díaz, though the only saving grace is that he was terrible before undergoing elbow surgery. 
• First baseman Jorge Polanco is hitting .131 with a .388 OPS in 29 games. His -1.3 bWAR would be tied for second-worst among position players if he qualified. 
• Luis Robert Jr. missed nearly three months with a back injury. Surprise, surprise. 
• Firing Mendoza and then immediately announcing that interim manager Andy Green would return to the front office following the season, though that’s another decision that also falls on Cohen. 

So, let’s go back to our original question: Did Stearns truly understand the assignment of building a team to at least contend with the Dodgers?

I’ll give you three guesses on the answer, and the first two don’t count. 

I’m willing to give Stearns a pass on Clay Holmes’ fibula injury or Kodai Senga completely losing his ability to competently pitch. But it takes a certain type of man to succeed in New York, whether they’re a prized free agent or an executive tasked with ending a 40-year World Series drought. 

“When my career is being evaluated for the Hall of Fame years from now, you’ll still be fiddling with your [expletive] formulas,” Alonso said he told Stearns in 2025. 

And isn’t that the best way to summarize Stearns’ time in New York?

More MLB news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow