NY Mets roster decisions remind us that David Stearns is playing baseball chess

Exactly why was Luisangel Acuna sent to the minor leagues for a handful of games only to be recalled on Thursday? The answer is more masterful than tactful with the future outlook of the New York Mets. This wasn’t a demotion like it was for Francisco Alvarez which will linger at least through the rest of the first half. Acuna’s demotion wasn’t suspicious but the promotion definitely felt a little unexpected.

Why replace Travis Jankowski with Acuna when the former isn’t even playing his way off of the roster? It all has to do with Acuna’s roster flexibility and perhaps the trade deadline.

Recently, I took a look at the downside of demoting Acuna. In doing so, the Mets were at risk of his final minor league option being eaten up. This would have eliminated a lot of his trade value as any team who acquired him would’ve lost the ability to send him to the minor leagues. Demoted on June 23, he was nearing the 20 days after a demotion required for it to be all used up. By promoting him again, Acuna’s minor league options for next year remain alive.

David Stearns is thinking the long game with Mets players and team control

This isn’t a one-off move either. Stearns regularly makes decisions feeding into the rules, working them to his favor. In an alternative universe, there’s a Netflix documentary about his cruelty. Thank goodness baseball exists and he’s able to put his mind to work here.

The same thing is likely going on with Alvarez who is approaching a point with his demotion where he’ll see his free agency delayed a full year. The Mets only need to keep him in the minors through Saturday to gain the extra year of control. Given how he has played, this isn’t incredibly exciting news. But it’s never a bad thing to gain the ability to make a decision in the future rather than see it stripped away.

Alvarez came into the year with all three of his minor league options remaining. It’s worth losing one if it means the Mets can hold onto him an extra year in the future.

These quirky rules are where Stearns thrives and doesn’t actually get all that much credit. In December of 2024, Max Kranick was awarded a fourth option year. Stearns must’ve seen this as a possibility. It made him more invaluable to the team in 2025. How many times were they able to demote him for a few days in order to get a fresh arm on the roster?

Figuring out all of the methods in Stearns’ madness (or madness in his methods) isn’t easy. In these examples, it’s using the rules to your benefit.