NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 2 player types David Stearns is gung ho for, 1 he isn't

David Stearns values defense up the middle

There’s nothing proprietary about how much Stearns seems to like defense up the middle. He has continually tried to find a strong defender in center field, finally bringing in Luis Robert Jr. this offseason for some larger upside than some of the others he has employed.

In 2024, we had a Harrison Bader/Tyrone Taylor duo. Last year, Bader was replaced with Jose Siri and later we got to see Cedric Mullins who had put together strong defensive results at times in his career. That mid-year addition, Mullins, was more of an emergency button to try to get some offense out of the position while not having to rely on Jeff McNeil.

Speaking of McNeil, while he had his usage, the Mets were quick to replace him at second base with Marcus Semien. A Gold Glove second baseman who is as steady as they come at the position, the Mets waived the offensive production of Brandon Nimmo in favor of the runs Semien can steal on defense. The Mets have arguably one of their best middle infield duos of all-time defensively with Semien playing alongside Francisco Lindor.

Catcher is the one area up the middle that has yet to be truly masterful from a defensive standpoint. The Mets continue to try turning Francisco Alvarez into more than a budding power hitting catcher. His defense has been good at times, questionable in other moments. The presence of Luis Torrens is undebatable as the team’s backup. Either good scouting or some random luck has given the Mets an assassin behind the plate when it comes to throwing out base runners.

Strength up the middle is a good way to win a defensive battle. What does it mean for the corner spots?