NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 5 popular David Stearns decisions that went terribly wrong

We liked these decisions. Unfortunately, the universe was working against us.
Cleveland Guardians v New York Mets
Cleveland Guardians v New York Mets | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages
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5) Re-signing Jesse Winker

Jesse Winker was a popular Mets player in 2024 even if he didn’t hit much at all in September. Not many Mets players did. His hot August and electric October are what made him a welcomed addition back to the Mets for the 2025 season. The plan was to have him platoon with Starling Marte as a DH. Winker didn’t do much hitting and an early season injury knocked him on the shelf, almost for good.

Winker returned for two games in July before landing back on the IL. Only 81 plate appearances this past year, his underperformance in the limited action could have been predicted.

Hitting only .229 with a single home run in the limited time on the field, Winker was a curious fit because of his lackluster defensive abilities. The Mets chose him over several others they could have brought in. While this didn’t hold them back and Marte stepped up his game, the Winker injury and minimal production in the early part of the year gets easily forgotten.

Winker’s relationship with the fans is one of the most unique. He went from a villain outside the division to a guy fans welcomed back with open arms. Could things have gone differently if the Mets let him walk and went in a different direction at the DH/OF spot he held? Maybe that’ll be a pool to dive in on a different day. For now, file the Winker free agent signing into one most wanted but never got any satisfaction from outside of his April 5 game when he tripled twice.

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