Mets Monday Morning GM: 2 reasons to trust David Stearns, 2 reasons to have doubts

Trust David Stearns because this is exactly what the plan has been for months

Stearns has, if nothing else, delivered on what was promised. Mets fans already braced themselves for a less aggressive offseason thanks to Max Scherzer who opened up a can of worms upon his departure at the trade deadline. Whether you want to call it a reset or recalibration, this is exactly what the Mets had planned to do even before Stearns was officially hired.

The Mets aren’t compiling a roster full of veterans on short-term deals to improve the roster. There isn’t a Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar, or even a Justin Verlander out there that makes a whole lot of sense for them at this point. They’ve already committed to taking fliers on multiple bullpen arms. Their biggest starting pitcher addition, the signing of Luis Severino, tells us they’ll probably stay in the market for similar players who’ve been good in the past but have a hurdle or two to climb.

This season is set up for the Mets to figure out their identity. It’s like a gap year between high school and college. Maybe they accidentally slip into the playoffs and get hot without a huge payroll. Maybe they get lost backpacking in Europe and end up in some strange Scandinavian cult.

Stearns coming to the Mets always meant a different mindset. His small market experience has taken control of this offseason. He hasn’t been reckless. We might want to trust he’ll wait to make the right move when it becomes available.