Former NY Mets GM questions if David Stearns' bold additions were Big Apple-built

David Stearns made a lot of changes to the New York Mets roster and the results have been questionable almost across the board. Freddy Peralta has held up his end of the bargain. Everyone else seems to be on a mission to make us wait as long as possible to put together a satisfying stretch.

It’s not complete doom and gloom at the moment. It’s so early the coffee hasn’t even finished brewing. Still, it won’t stop the media and even rabid fans from questioning what’s coming next for this ball club.

Former Mets GM Jim Duquette is someone “in the know” with experience of getting criticized in the Big Apple. The ex-GM of the Mets, he calls into question something Stearns couldn’t have possibly predicted.

Jim Duquette seems to believe the Mets have some players who can’t handle New York

Duquette makes fair points and based on his experience as a GM, he can speak on some level as to what goes into the thought process of adding players to the Mets roster. You can’t smile after a strikeout without getting tarred and feathered.

Duquette doesn’t specifically name names as to who he might have in mind as a “non-New York” player. There were certainly questions with Devin Williams after a subpar year with the New York Yankees, but his worst performance also came on Wednesday out in Los Angeles. He hasn’t had the boos rain on him yet.

It’s players like Bo Bichette, Jorge Polanco, and Marcus Semien facing the most troubling starts to their Mets tenure. None have hit. All came with a certain expectation. Bichette was the expensive bat meant to replace Pete Alonso’s salary. Polanco was brought in to replace Alonso at first base, but with more of an idea of being a Brandon Nimmo alternative. Then there’s Semien who was directly traded for Nimmo.

Along with those three, the Mets brought in Luis Robert Jr. who lately has hit nothing but the skids. An acceptable trade many believed had a clear floor and an outstanding ceiling, he certainly falls into the kind of trap of unfamiliarity with every mistake landing under a microscope. He is only now struggling after earning a longer leash with his walk-off homer in the second game of the season.

Nobody on this Mets team is above the boos with Francisco Lindor receiving a heavy dose of deserved criticism. It’s not much of a surprise. This is common behavior when the results are as troubling as they’ve been.

Duquette might be right about how certain players are handling the situation. Where he’s wrong is the naivety of it. The notion of players not being able to handle the Big Apple is nothing new. All of them knew what they were getting into by signing here and even those who were traded must’ve understood the spotlight they’d be under.

Fortunately, guys like Bichette have responded perfectly to the early criticism. Semien has been around long enough for us to know he can handle it. He doesn’t seem too small for the city.

We have seen how booing can get into the heads of players. Lindor responded in 2021 along with other teammates by giving the fans a thumbs down. More mature now, it does show how any athlete can let the fans’ opinions eat them up no matter what their salary is.

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