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David Stearns isn’t incredibly popular right now. Even those who haven’t given up hope are, in general, doing so because they believe he’ll be able to pull something off before the start of the season. The New York Mets have alienated some fans while others cling to the belief their plan to replace the players they parted with will work out for the best.
Stearns has made several unpopular moves throughout his tenure running the Mets. Some have worked out well. Others haven’t.
These five unpopular decisions by Stearns ended up going about as badly as they could have.
1) Signing Frankie Montas
Is there a more unpopular Mets free agent signing than Frankie Montas? Only Jed Lowrie gives him a run for the money as the best punchline in recent history. Montas barely played more than Lowrie and when not adjusted for inflation, Montas cost significantly more.
No one was truly thinking Montas was going to end up as the next stud Mets starting pitcher. He was okay in 2024 yet hardly worth a two-year commitment totaling $34 million.
Montas was hurt in the spring, struggled in his rehab outings, and was almost as bad as we could have imagined once he was actually on the field. Tommy John surgery ended the misery early, not that it did much to help. The Mets had few answers. He wasn’t a guy blocking them from calling up a kid. Montas was just a bad free agent signing most fans would agree never made much sense.
Stearns incorrectly bought into Montas staying healthy in 2024 and finishing the year better after getting dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s never smart to listen to the fans. In this case, the fans were right.