3 random A+ grades the Mets deserve after the first 81 games of the season

3) Give David Stearns and A+ for dumping inferior players

Remind me to never play David Stearns in a card game. An unassuming personality he shows publicly, Stearns has a ruthless nature about him when it comes to decision-making. It’s what has made him a success in MLB and will keep the Mets competitive.

The Mets haven’t been shy about dumping players. From the Opening Day roster, the list includes Jorge Lopez, Michael Tonkin, Yohan Ramirez, Omar Narvaez, Joey Wendle, and Zack Short. The team has DFA’d even more players this season. Julio Teheran was shown the door quickly. Even Tyler Jay who waited years to make his MLB debut was DFA’d despite pitching well.

Previous regimes would’ve kept these players around. Not this one. The Mets might not have gone full bore in the offseason, but they’re not allowing straphangers any free ride.

Best of all, many of those dearly departed Mets players have been replaced by notably better ones. We went from Narvaez to Luis Torrens. From Wendle to Iglesias. From Short to Mark Vientos. The relievers have been a bit tougher to replace. However, decisions like promoting Dedniel Nunez and signing Danny Young in the offseason have already paid off. Lest we forget about keeping Reed Garrett altogether when he showed nothing in his past to indicate he was worth a closer look.

Yes, the Mets were imperfect over those first 81 games and will remain a troubling bunch for the final 81. Thanks to Stearns’ ruthless nature, Mendoza’s constant adjustments to the lineup, and a fun cast of unofficial mascots, there are a couple of places where we can hand the Mets an A+.