The designer of the supposedly sturdy ship that settled on the ocean floor off South Florida over the weekend stepped forward and accepted the blame Monday.
“I’m the architect of the team,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said at Citi Field. “I’m responsible for it.”
The star-studded Mets, with their $340 million payroll, missed the playoffs with Sunday’s loss to the Marlins, sending the organization into reflection mode as 12 other teams prepare for the postseason.
The Mets went 38-55 beginning on June 13 (when they were a season-high 21 games above .500) to complete one of the biggest meltdowns in major league history.
Last season the Mets advanced to Game 6 of the NLCS before losing to the Dodgers.
But following a playoff season with another has been a challenge for this franchise: It’s occurred only twice (1999-2000 and 2015-16).
Stearns, who just completed his second season heading the team’s front office — he has three years remaining on his contract — said he understands the fan base’s frustration and vowed improvement.
Stearns pointed to roster construction, specifically pertaining to pitching and defense, as a significant factor in the team’s 83-79 finish.
The Mets finished the season with a 4.03 ERA that ranked 18th in the major leagues.
After the All-Star break Mets pitchers produced a 4.74 ERA as most notably Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea and David Peterson struggled.
“On the run prevention side of the ball, we didn’t do a good enough job of fortifying our team when we had injuries midseason,” Stearns said. “Clearly that was a point in our season where on the run prevention side of things, we went from a very good team to a team that wasn’t good enough to maintain a sizable lead not only in the division but in the playoff chase. Our defense wasn’t good enough, and that certainly contributed to our pitching challenges.”
The Mets had three players reach 30 homers for the first time in franchise history as Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor combined for 122, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for holes in the lineup, particularly early in the season.
“We had a number of players who had really good years, but we failed to score the runs that we needed to score despite those really good years,” Stearns said. “And so you add all that up, and you get to a team that underachieved greatly. We know that. I certainly know that. And we’re going to work really hard to fix that going forward, learn from this, and do a heck of a lot better.”
The Mets flopped at the trade deadline with the additions of Cedric Mullins, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto, all of whom disappointed. A fourth acquisition, Tyler Rogers, provided quality relief for the team. Stearns acknowledged a subset of the moves “didn’t work” and in some cases worsened the team.
But Stearns, citing the high asking prices, said he doesn’t regret that he didn’t address the starting rotation at the trade deadline.
“I think holistically as I look at our pitching staff we needed to do more before the season, that is very clear,” Stearns said. “But with what we were faced with at the deadline, I think our fan base would actually be perhaps more upset if we made some of those moves.”
As it stands, the Mets held onto top pitching prospects Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, all of whom pitched for the club this season and factor into next year’s equation.
“I believe we’re developing very good pitchers,” Stearns said. “I think we’re going to continue to do that and that’s going to continue to be an emphasis, just even over the offseason.”
Stearns, who helped build the small-market Brewers into a perennial playoff team, was asked if he’s had enough time to shape the roster, particularly in regard to pitching and defense.
“I take ownership over this roster,” Stearns said. “I’ve been here now for two years. That is plenty of time to shape a roster, to meld a roster and I take ownership over the players that are here. As we continue to develop our players, that is naturally going to change the composition.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
