Drenched in champagne in the middle of the Atlanta Braves’ visiting locker room, the gravity of the moment was not lost on New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who, in his first year with the club, built a roster that found its way into the postseason.
“I’m just so happy for everyone here, and I’m happy for Mets fans,” Stearns said. “We’re a franchise that hasn’t had enough of these moments; we need to have more of these moments, and this is a really important step in that direction.”
The postseason has always been a fleeting concept for the Mets. This was just their 11th postseason berth in 63 years of baseball. It is also just the fourth time in franchise history that they made the playoffs twice in a three-year span (1986 and 1988, 1999-2000, 2015-2016).
“We know we have more work to do,” Stearns said. “I don’t think anyone here is satisfied.”
Yet New York’s exhilarating win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday to clinch a spot in the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers already fulfilled one promise made at his introductory press conference just 364 days ago.
“I think we should be in the playoff race and a true playoff contender,” Stearns said at his introductory press conference on Oct. 2, 2024. “That should be our goal… Our goal is to begin that now.
“We’re going to do our best to put together a team in 2024 that is competitive and we’re going to do it in a way that does not detract from our competitiveness in the future. That is the needle to thread, but that’s our goal.”
He hit every nail on the head to do just that.
He took on reclamation projects in starting pitchers Luis Severino and Sean Manaea — both of whom developed into aces down the stretch to clinch the Mets’ spot in October.
Tyrone Taylor, brought on as a utility outfielder, provided brilliant depth and came up with some of the most important plays of the season. None more obvious than his 11-pitch double to lead off the top of the eighth inning off Spencer Schwellenbach to spark New York’s six-run frame on Monday.
Jose Iglesias might very well go down as the greatest minor-league signing in franchise history. The veteran utility infielder did not get the call to the majors until May 31 but was one of the Mets’ most productive, vital players. He batted .337 in 85 games with an .830 OPS, ending the season with a 22-game hitting streak.
He attempted to upgrade the roster at the trade deadline, bringing on starter Paul Blackburn, relievers Huascar Brazoban, Phil Maton — now the Mets set-up man — and Ryne Stanek, along with outfielder Jesse Winker. He gave up just one top-20 prospect in the process to bring in such a haul.
Above all, though, he hired Carlos Mendoza to lead this team. The rookie manager not only navigated his team to the playoffs, but he should finish toward the very top of NL Manager of the Year voting.
“I’m lucky to have so many great people around me,” Mendoza said. “Not only the players, but the front office, the coaches. They made it. It’s not about me… I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”
Owner Steve Cohen could not have asked for much more of Stearns in his first year with the club. Stressing long-term sustainability, the Mets have a contender with a bevy of young prospects inching toward a jump to the pros and Cohen’s checkbook if the brain trust sees fit.
For now, though, the Mets are hoping for a bit more magic this October.
“I just want to keep going,” Cohen said. “This team can do it. They believe in themselves, and anything is possible. No one believed in what we were doing around the trade deadline, but they played it out and kept believing in themselves. Here we are now, so you want to believe.”For more on the Mets, visit AMNY.com
