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2) Signing Sean Manaea and Luis Severino prior to the 2024 season
We all looked at the 2024 Mets starting rotation and thought it wouldn’t do much at all. Some called it the worst they had ever seen.
It’s difficult to fairly transition back to that mindset because of the way things went. Sean Manaea and Luis Severino were the notable additions, joining Jose Quintana as a threesome of mid-level starters at best. Alongside Adrian House (who I thought would be good) and Tylor Megill who had replaced an injured Kodai Senga, things weren’t looking up.
Stearns earned a lot of good faith from fans with this decision. Manaea was excellent for the Mets and became their ace as the season progressed. Severino had an incredible bounce back season and proved he could get through an entire season healthy and effective.
The 2024 Mets rotation became so popular, many fans were eager to see it stay together. Only Manaea, among the free agents, was re-signed. What it did do was open up our minds for other possibilities. We got used to seeing the Mets sign better and more proven starting pitchers. The Stearns formula of buying lower on guys could work out after all like it did with Manaea and Severino for a year.