David Stearns breaks down Mets' goals for Winter Meetings, remainder of offseason

The Mets have plenty of work to do this offseason after a disappointing campaign in which they underwent a historic trade deadline fire sale and finished fourth place in the National League East.

Newly-appointed president of baseball operations David Stearns got things started recently with the acquisitions of free agent right-hander Luis Severino and veteran utility man Joey Wendle.

There’s still plenty left to be done to continue building this club, and some of that can take place this week at the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings.

Stearns met with reporters on Monday evening and discussed some of the needs that he’s hoping to fill between now and spring training.

At least one starting pitcher

One the Mets’ biggest focuses entering the offseason has been adding to and improving their starting rotation.

As currently constructed, there figures to only be three locks for the Opening Day rotation; Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, and Severino. New York would then likely turn to depth options such as Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, and Jose Butto to fill out the backend.

With that in mind, Stearns says the team will look to add at least one or two more arms to the starting rotation over the next few months, if not more.

The Mets have been among the team showing heavy interest in top free agent right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They’ve also been linked lefties Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Blake Snell among others.

New York will certainly look to add a top of the rotation arm to pair with Senga, but it’ll also likely bring in more depth options one shorter-term deals like they did with Severino.

Bullpen help

Another obvious need for Stearns and the Mets at this point in the offseason is bullpen arms.

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters earlier on Monday that star closer Edwin Diaz is fully healthy and he’s expected to be able to handle a regular workload by the time spring training comes around.

Besides him, though, the Mets bullpen is looking a little bleak with just Brooks Raley and Drew Smith as the only other two locks.

They’ve added some intriguing depth options on minor-league deals like right-hander Kyle Crick, Austin Adams, and Cole Sulser but Stearns knows there’s plenty more work to be done.

“Our bullpen is pretty open right now,” he said. “I do think we need to give ourselves some options there, we will fill out a quality bullpen by the time we get to opening day and it’s probably going to take a lot of different types of transactions that get us there.”

Some of the top options out there include David Robertson, Hector Neris, Matt Moore, Andrew Chafin, and Phil Maton, among others.

Starting-caliber outfielder

Another goal is to add another starting-caliber outfielder to the mix, which Stearns says could come in a variety of different paths.

“It could be more defensively oriented, it could be someone who we view as a more of a bat-first player. There are options in free agency and trade that we’re working though and we’ll continue to evaluate that,” he said.

As currently constructed, New York has DJ Stewart, Brandon Nimmo, and Starling Marte as its starting outfielders.

The veteran Marte is under team-control through the 2025 season, but the Mets still don’t know what they’re getting from him coming off an injury-riddle season. And while Stewart enjoyed some success down the stretch last year, you also don’t know if you can rely on him as a starter.

Jeff McNeil could be an option to slot into a corner outfield spot, but Stearns said that he expects him to see a lot of time at second base with how the roster is constructed at the moment.

Expect Stearns and the Mets to be active in the outfield market moving forward.

SNY’s Andy Martino mentioned earlier Monday that they've spoken with defensive wizard Michael A. Taylor. Other options to consider include KBO star Jung Hoo Lee, Kevin Kiermaier, and Teoscar Hernandez, among others.

External DH?

There's no denying that the Mets could use some help on the offensive side of things this offseason, and among the many ways they could accomplish that is by finding themselves a legitimate designated hitter.

Stearns said the team "wouldn't close the door" on adding a DH from outside the organization but it all depends on what happens with the position.

Ideally they'd look to add someone who could add some versatility in the field as well, but among the top slugging options are Teoscar Hernandez, JD Martinez, and Jorge Soler. 

Internal competition for third base

Though he's not ready to name a starter right now, Stearns said definitively that the Mets are not looking to add another third baseman to the mix the rest of the offseason.

Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, and Mark Vientos will all come to camp with the chance to compete with the veteran Wendle to claim the everyday spot at the hot corner.

"I think it's important for us organizationally to lean about our younger players, to provide them with the opportunity at the major-league level," he said. "That doesn't have to be on opening day, but over the course of the year, we've got to learn about these guys."

Mauricio, who impressed with the bat in his first big-league call-up, is expected to spent most of his time at third base during the Dominican Winter League as he looks to make some strides defensively.

Wendle has been known for being a solid and versatile defender over his big-league career, but his bat has fallen off over his last two seasons with the Miami Marlins.