MLB analyst expresses distress over New York Mets' decision to appoint David Stearns: “He’s a small market general manager”

The New York Mets, despite being the highest payroll team in 2023, failed to reach the postseason once again and have yet to make a viral headline in the offseason. To improve their performance after the devastating 2023 season, the Mets have appointed former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns as their first president of baseball operations.

Joe Benigno, former sports anchor at SNY and NFL analyst, expressed his view on the Mets’ newly appointed 38-year-old Stearns to such a big role on X (formerly Twitter) while filling in for Joel Sherman on “The Show” podcast with Jon Heyman.

“Here’s what the Mets did. They’re pulling the wool over a Mets fan’s eyes a little bit,” Beningo said.

“What’s happening here, they brought in this guy Stearns, who’s a small market GM. Let’s be honest, he’s a small market general manager. They brought him in to run the Mets like the Milwaukee Brewers.”

Benigno criticized the Mets for not being in the conversation for two-way star Shohei Ohtani during the offseason. He also pointed out that Yoshinobu Yamamoto has a slim chance of joining the Mets, despite owner Steve Cohen even taking a 14-hour trek to Japan to meet the ace.

It’s been seven years since the New York Mets last made it to the postseason in 2016, and Benigno believes that Stearns isn’t suitable for leading the franchise forward. The only big news that the Mets have made is the acquisition of former New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino, as the rest of their signings are from the minors and some one-year deals.

The New York Mets will need more depth in the roster to win their third World Series pennant, which they have been waiting for since 1969.

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Recap of New York Mets’ 2023 season

The New York Mets had a disappointing regular season in 2023, which was one of their worst since 2017. They won 75 games, with 43 wins at home and 32 on the road, but lost 87 games, with 38 losses at home and 49 on the road. As a result, they finished fourth in the East division of the National League this season.

In terms of individual performance, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor scored the most runs on the team with 108, with a batting average of .254 and a .829 OPS. Pete Alonso recorded the most RBIs with 118. The 30-year-old Kodai Senga led the Mets in the 2023 season with a 2.98 ERA in 166.1 innings in 29 games, with 202 strikeouts.

As the new season approaches, the New York Mets need to act quickly to sign some of the remaining free agents before other teams scoop them up to build the best possible lineup for the upcoming seasons.