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NY Mets Monday Morning GM: David Stearns batting .500 with sneaky overseas signings

The Mets are 1 for 2 with their overseas signings of a pair of players from the KBO.
ByTim Boyle|
May 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Brandon Waddell (82) looks to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images
May 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Brandon Waddell (82) looks to New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) during the game against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

The New York Mets signed two players from the KBO this offseason. Presented with this information, you’d never assume they’d be named Brandon and Jared. Given names of pitcher Brandon Waddell and left-handed hitting Jared Young who plays a lot of positions except when he’s on the Mets’ big league team, the pair of Doosan Bears teammates from last year each inked MLB deals over the winter.

Each was understandable. Optional players coming off of a good year overseas valued well as Four-A players with maybe potential to show off what they learned in Korea, you were right to accept these signings for what they were, depth.

Now a full 3 months into the MLB season and more than half of the schedule complete, avid Stearns is batting .500 with this pair of sneaky additions.

Brandon Waddell has been incredibly useful for the Mets

Whether pitching well or just eating up some innings, the Mets have made good use of Waddell. He has bounced up and down from the majors to the minors and back again while serving them as both a long reliever behind an opener and more recently a more traditional relief piece.

Waddell hasn’t dazzled to the point where we should feel secure with him on the major league roster beyond the team’s need for a fresh arm. In 6 relief appearances, Waddell has logged 14.2 innings and come away with a strong 2.45 ERA. Only his 5 inning relief appearance against the Chicago White Sox on May 28 has resulted in any runs. He has been clean otherwise, regularly avoiding walks and hits.

In their desperation to find some left-handed relief help, Waddell has been a surprisingly effective Band-Aid.

Jared Young failed to take advantage of the extended look the Mets gave him

It couldn’t have worked out better for Young in terms of having space to play regularly. An injury to Jesse Winker was the exact path to pave in order for him to see MLB action. Through much of Winker’s ongoing absence, Young received at-bats against right-handed pitchers as the team’s DH.

Sadly, it didn’t go well. Although he managed to hammer 3 home runs in 44 trips to the plate, he finished with 4 RBI, 15 strikeouts, and a dreadful .171/.227/.415 slash line. All but two of his plate appearances even came against righties so it wasn’t for a lack of being put in a position to succeed.

One for two isn’t so bad considering these were two seemingly useful pieces to fill in case of an emergency. And if you had to pick one to be the more successful, wouldn’t it be the far more useful pitcher rather than the limited DH-type?

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