David Stearns is playing with fire with his NY Mets plan at second base

After finishing 2026 with an abysmal 74-88 record and coming in last place in the NL East, one would think that the New York Mets have many holes that need to be addressed this offseason. Apparently, you can't count David Stearns among that group.

While addressing the media at the opening of the General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas, Stearns made it clear that he doesn't believe that second base is a problem, citing the presence of Marcus Semien, Brett Baty, and the prospect trio of Jefferson Rojas, Émilien Pitre, and Mitch Voit as reasons why upgrades are not needed at the keystone. It would appear, then, that outside of the starting rotation, first base is the only position player group where New York is seriously eyeing upgrades.

“Marcus [Semien] is going to come in with an opportunity to play a lot of second base. He didn’t have the type of year that he wanted to last year, didn’t have the type of year we believe he’s capable of," Stearns told reporters. "We also think we’ve got a lot of other options — both guys who played in the big leagues last year for us and guys who are knocking on the door of the big leagues
— that we feel good about that position.”

Technically, a five-player group gives the Mets options, but are they really the best options for a club that missed the playoffs for the second straight season despite a payroll pushing $400 million? It would seem that Stearns needs a postseason berth in 2027 to save his job, so it's curious that he wouldn't act with more urgency to fix a position that put up a 26th-ranked .629 OPS in 2026, while also posting a -5 Fielding Run Value that ranked 27th in baseball.

By forgoing second base additions, the Mets are ignoring one of free agency's strongest position groups

This free-agent class is considered one of the weaker ones in recent memory. That isn't the case at the keystone, however, where players like Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Gleyber Torres, and Luis Arraez are all above-average starter-level talents, at worst. Dip into the trade market, and there's Ketel Marte, who admittedly has his warts, but would be an upgrade for New York.

But before diving into the potential fits of all those guys, it's important to take a closer look at what the Mets truly have at their disposal internally. That starts with Semien, who has seen his wRC+ drop from 101 in 2024 to 90 in 2025 to 74 this year. That's not a one-off, but rather a sustained decline and should not be wholly unexpected from a player who just turned 36 in September.

The Mets owe him $46 million over the next two years, but can they really afford to keep running him out there if he's putting up sub-replacement-level player WAR?

Brett Baty might provide some more hope, but we've played this game before. Mets fans have been waiting for four years for him to put it all together, and, we'll, they're still waiting. From Opening Day through June 29, Baty logged 279 plate appearances with an atrocious .585 OPS. Then, from June 30 through September 23, he turned a corner and compiled 182 plate appearnaces and posted an .850 OPS. The dichotomy is striking, and neither stretch does enough to provide a convincing argument that his .238/.311/.374 season line was truly a fluke.

Even if you believe in Baty, you have to acknowledge the streakiness of his production. Beyond that, there's an argument made that his versatility is more valuable to the club than his contributions would be if locked into one position.

Finally, the prospects are all enticing players, but can we be sure that any of them are truly ready for primetime? What happens if you rush one or more up and they flop? How does that impact their development? Again, this is a team with World Series aspirations, and throwing three prospects against the wall in hopes that one sticks is not behavior becoming of a true contender.

There's reason to want to keep a pathway open for these youngsters long-term, even if that means a 2028 arrival versus a 2027 call-up. That's a fine position to take, but signing one of the top-four free agents doesn't necessarily block that path.

There's a chance that Chisholm Jr. could be had for a one-year, pillow contract to re-establish his value after a down year. There's also reason to like the speed and athleticism he'd bring to the Mets' lineup.

Then there's Gleyber Torres, who is entering free agency for a third time in as many years. He was forced into a one-year deal with the Tigers during the 2024-2025 offseason, and then played on the qualifying offer last year. Jim Bowden, who is notoriously optimistic when it comes to contract predictions, sees him getting a two-year, $42 million deal. Even that wouldn't be that bad, and there's a chance that what he actually receives is even more affordable, and he could go for another one-year pact as well.

New York should consider Brandon Lowe. The qualifying offer is a deterrent, but we're also talking about this being used as a ploy by the Pirates to depress his market. New York might as well take advantage of that, as 35-homer bats don't grow on trees. Lowe is entering his age-32 season, so he's not likely to get more than three years. He also can play first base, which means the Mets could solve that need and pivot to the prospects if need be.

Luis Arraez is a more polarizing player, and he did not fare nearly as well in Philadelphia as he did in San Francisco in 2026. However, like Lowe, he can play first, giving the team flexibility to roll with one of Jefferson/Voit/Pitre should they feel that's the best option.

The bottom line is that the Mets aren't one or two upgrades away from being legitimate World Series contenders, and ignoring an obvious position of need that has multiple clear upgrades on the market in order to try and fix an aging veteran or squeeze some more juice out of a clearly-busted former top prospect is a recipe for the same kind of bitter outcomes that we've seen over the past two years.

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