NY Mets Monday Morning GM: A David Stearns mistake he seems unlikely to repeat

Of all the mistakes made by David Stearns last offseason, an easily forgotten one came to an official close on April 14. That’s how over and down the New York Mets were with the situation.

Free agent Luis Garcia was signed for only $1.75 million with a few contract incentives thrown in there. The 39-year-old was DFA’d after only 6 games with a 7.11 ERA. No better with the Minnesota Twins with a 10.38 ERA in a handful of appearances, Garcia was an early free agent addition that flamed out. The Mets knew to get away as quickly as possible.

The signing itself wasn’t a bad idea. Garcia was only a year removed from a 3.42 ERA performance and as an experienced big league arm, a decent enough player to fill out the bullpen. It was a mistake, yes, but also one Stearns probably won’t repeat again this offseason.

There’s no Luis Garcia coming to the Mets this offseason because the Mets have bodies already

When the 2025 season ended, the Mets had a lot of impending free agents. The bullpen needed rebuilding as Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, Ryne Stanek, Tyler Rogers, Gregory Soto, and probably a few more hit the open market. Garcia wasn’t meant to be a huge contributor but also not such an early roster cut.

The situation is suddenly far different. The Mets, with Bo Bichette opting in, went into this offseason with zero impending free agents. If anything, this gives them an overcrowded bullpen. Just out of options and in the relief corps at the moment with a potential to get non-tendered, waived or traded, we have Tobias Myers, Cionel Perez, and Austin Warren. There’s also Daniel Duarte who is worth holding onto and Robert Stock who’ll most assuredly get DFA’d at some point with the team hoping to pass him through waivers thanks to his split contract.

The current Mets bullpen lacks flexibility in terms of minor league options which isn’t anything wholly unique. They’ve gone into most of the recent years without multiple built-in spots to bounce players between the majors and minors. That’s where injuries or sudden roster cuts like the one with Garcia last year came into place.

There is some debate in terms of what the Mets bullpen needs. They definitely require at least one big setup man if not a closer to usurp the job from Devin Williams. Reed Garrett is coming off of Tommy John surgery as yet another option, but his availability will likely require some sort of a rehab assignment first. He’s also hardly the most trustworthy arm.

Along with all of those names, the Mets still have Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga lingering and not exactly looking like the best rotation options. It’s a crowded room at the moment. Something has to give. Cheap veteran relievers on their last leg like Garcia are the easy road to refuse to take.

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