Free agent NY Mets wanted nothing to do with already looks like a bust

The 2026 regular season isn't even a month old, but if you were to go back and grade David Stearns' offseason performance right now, you'd probably need to refill the ink on your red pen a couple of times before you were through. The New York Mets missed in more places than one could have ever imagined.

Such is life when you're mired in an 11-game losing streak and saddled with the worst record in the sport. A lot of the team's biggest swings during the winter simply aren't panning out as hoped; the list of underperforming newcomers includes (but is not limited to): Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Jorge Polanco (who is also injured).

But, like any good teacher, New York Mets fans don't want Stearns to fail. The team is better when he makes the right decisions. And, at least in a technical sense, there was one choice the front office made in free agency that is paying clear dividends at the moment: not signing Tatsuya Imai.

Mets' front office looks smart for passing on big offer to Tatsuya Imai

The 27-year-old right-hander was supposed to be one of the best NPB pitching converts in recent memory, though like fellow countrymen Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami, he was met with a softer-than-expected market. He signed a short-term deal with the Houston Astros, hoping to re-enter free agency after proving his MLB bona fides.

Instead, he's flopped. Hard.

Through three starts with the Astros, he's lasted just 8 2/3 innings. Say what you want about the Mets' beleaguered rotation, but at least they're giving Carlos Mendoza more than three frames per start.

As you might expect, Imai's results have been disastrous. He's living up to the hype as a strikeout artist, punching out 13.50 batters per nine innings. The problem is he's also walked one-quarter of the hitters he's seen thus far, leading to an unsightly 7.27 ERA. Save for Kodai Senga (whom Imai would have displaced had he signed in New York), that would rank last among the Mets' starting five by a country mile.

The advanced stats are kinder to him (4.07 xERA), but it's hard to be successful in this league when you're issuing free passes more than once an inning. Oh, and the kicker: He landed on the injured list on April 10 with "arm fatigue."

The Mets reportedly passed on signing Imai because they didn't view him as an "impact" starter. To this point, that evaluation is spot on. Opting instead for a blockbuster trade for Freddy Peralta may very well have been the best decision Stearns made all offseason.

Unfortunately, you don't get a passing grade for one correct answer among a sea of incorrect choices.

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