Was NY Mets’ run prevention priority a failure, excuse, or just unattainable?

David Stearns said the words. We heard ‘em. There was no other way to interpret it. Run prevention was going to be the key to building a successful New York Mets season in 2026. Stearns even discussed defense all over again as recently as mid-January, days before signing Bo Bichette who was regarded as one of the league’s worst at preventing runs.

What happened here?

We know when a baseball executive talks, they’re just words sometimes. In this case, what was the actual intention behind the offseason?

Was “run prevention” a failure for the Mets, an excuse to get rid of the core, or never viable in full?

Failure

The Mets swapped Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien. Run prevention! They added two good relievers, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Run prevention! They lost Edwin Diaz, have yet to upgrade left field, and both corner infielders have one game of experience between them.

When we think of an offseason focused on run prevention, it means acquiring at least one major starting pitcher (if not two) and prioritizing defense in the name of scoring fewer runs. The Mets have done exactly the opposite. At this stage, they’re less of a strong run prevention team and more so one that’ll need to outscore you. We can’t call it a failure just yet.

Excuse

This seems to be where I’d lean. This was the best way to sell the fans they’d trade Nimmo and let Pete Alonso walk. Everything else was about domino pieces fitting together. The Mets went into the offseason with some intentions, but an open-mind, clearly. Bichette and before him, Kyle Tucker, were opportunistic chances they couldn’t resist making.

We may never know in full what the locker room situation was last season. But for it to be continually brought up in each of the losing campaigns, it’s difficult to not believe the commonality between Nimmo and Alonso specifically was their poor defense. Use that as a way to move on.

Unattainable

You can’t build a team entirely structured around run prevention in one offseason. In particular, when Juan Soto is your right fielder, it's mission impossible. The Mets can start gearing toward that direction by keeping strong defensive prospects who can hit, too. Moving Bichette and Jorge Polanco from middle infield positions to corner spots is mysterious yet not

Now this is the excuse. It never was possible. It’s like promising something in your political campaign that just can’t happen. A chicken in every pot? First you need to give the people the stove.