Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 signs David Stearns lacks faith in the farm system he acquired

2) The acquisition of Jose Siri practically eliminates Drew Gilbert from being on the Opening Day roster

No, Drew Gilbert will not be competing for an Opening Day roster spot in any seriousness. The recent trade for Jose Siri assures us a preference for veterans over young up and coming kids. It’s probably for the best because if the Mets don’t have a backup plan for Gilbert, they’re in deep trouble.

Gilbert never got his full year in Triple-A which has become a must for many of the Mets youngsters. In particular, the position players are getting a lot of time to develop in Syracuse these past years. When are they going to rename that stadium after Mark Vientos?

This doesn’t suggest Stearns is low on Gilbert as greatly as his actions with Acuna hint at. The 24-year-old outfielder played only 56 games in Triple-A last season and hit .215. In fact, he has only 189 total minor league games of experience. He’ll get his shot in the sun, just not yet.

The Siri trade doubles down on eliminating any thought fans may have had of Acuna moving into center field immediately. Jett Williams is affected in a more minor capacity. He’s a little further from the big leagues than Gilbert with fewer candles on his birthday cakes and less playing time as a professional. It would take a monster year in the minors plus injury in the majors for him to come up.

We’ll know more about how Stearns feels with these guys based on whether or not he trades them.

3) The Mets didn’t protect Dom Hamel or Mike Vasil from the Rule 5 Draft

Selecting Dom Hamel and Mike Vasil to the 40-man roster before last week’s deadline seemed necessary. The Mets didn’t. Teams will now be able to pick them up in December’s Rule 5 Draft. It’s a sudden turn for a pair of pitching prospects who appeared to have a shot at making it to the majors last year when the season began. Each pitched poorly and should be an intriguing option for other ball clubs to stash in their bullpens for a year.

Hamel turns 26 in March. Until this past season, he was getting solid results. ERAs in the high 3.00s the past two seasons weren’t much of a big deal. He was striking out batters at a high rate, avoiding home runs, and not walking too many. Things changed completely in 2024 when he finished with a 6.79 ERA. Career lows or highs depending on how you want to look at it knocked him off a pedestal he had climbed onto as a potential future pitcher for the Mets.

One poor year can be explained away. So what’s the excuse for Vasil? A lower round draftee, he overachieved in 2022 mostly because of how well he pitched in St. Lucie. Vasil ran into a problem that year and the next once elevated. He’d start off well in the lower level and see his ERA inflate over 5.00 in the second half. He wrapped up 2023 with 16 starts in Triple-A where he’d go 4-4 with a 5.30 ERA. Would the pattern continue in 2024? Not really. He was 8-10 with a 6.04 ERA. He struck out less than a batter per inning. His best months were the middle ones. He started poorly and bookended it with a bad September.

Stearns felt the need to protect Alex Ramirez ahead of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft despite being further away from the majors and having close to an equivalent type of season as a hitter. A year later, he was non-tendered. Perhaps he learned his lesson. Some prospects you need to just dangle out there and let other teams deal with.