Derek Falvey's track record can help NY Mets fill a gap David Stearns hasn't

Just before their disappointing season came to an end, the New York Mets took care of a couple important points of business. That included a long-term extension for now-full-time manager Andy Green, as well as the hiring of former Minnesota Twins front office chief Derek Falvey to serve as David Stearns' right-hand man.

That latter move is particularly important since Stearns, who made a career out of developing great pitchers in Cleveland and with the Milwaukee Brewers, hasn't yet been able to pull off the same trick in New York. Though there's a lot of talent percolating through the farm system, only Nolan McLean (drafted before Stearns took over) has really emerged as a frontline starter.

That's left the Mets with a lot of free-agent signings and trade prizes in the rotation over the past three years. Some, like Luis Severino and Sean Manaea in 2024, panned out beautifully. Others, like Paul Blackburn, Frankie Montas, and Freddy Peralta, crashed and burned almost immediately.

Luckily, this is an area of expertise for Falvey and exactly the kind of decision-making prowess he can help bring to the front office.

David Stearns should defer to Derek Falvey when it comes to veteran pitcher evaluations

Like any front office executive, Falvey made his fair share of mistakes in Minnesota. But he helped drag a listless organization into the modern era (while also convincing ownership to expand its wallet), in part because of his ability to extract incredible valuable out of acquired pitchers.

He snuck into the Mookie Betts blockbuster and acquired Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers; the then-32-year-old promptly finished second in AL Cy Young voting in his debut season in Minnesota. Then there was the Sonny Gray trade, which netted the Twins an ace for a single prospect (Chase Petty); Gray would also finish second in Cy Young voting, in his second year with the team.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Falvey sold high on Luis Arraez, parting with the 2022 batting champion to secure another young ace (Pablo Lopez). He acquired Jake Odorizzi from a recalculating Rays team and helped turn the right-hander into an All-Star. He would then "beat" Tampa Bay a second time in 2021, sending them a 40-year-old Nelson Cruz and receiving future two-time All-Star Joe Ryan in return.

It's fair to say that any of those moves would be the highlight of Stearns' tenure, at least from the pitching side of things. Falvey has had a good nose for value both as a buyer and seller throughout his career, which will aid the Mets greatly as they look to overhaul their pitching staff around McLean.

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