Mets Monday Morning GM: When will David Stearns stop holding back and use a crane kick finisher?

In Mortal Kombat terms, the New York Mets didn’t use their finishing move at the trade deadline. Rather than whip out the crane kick and make a bold and unquestionable roster upgrade, they settled for a whole lot of jabs, hooks, and maybe a finger poke of doom.

It was the kind of trade deadline performance you’d let babysit your children but wouldn’t hire full-time. Coming out of it with a better bullpen, increased depth, and tied up ends in the rotation with Paul Blackburn and lineup with Jesse Winker, it was far from the type of trade deadline that changes the culture of the team.

Stearns has a reputation for making smarter moves rather than flashy ones. Although not completely removed from his resume, this is the expectation we have. Will things change? Does Stearns have a crane kick waiting within?

When is the right time for the Mets to go for the jugular at the trade deadline?

A couple of MLB teams did make those bigger, less responsible at the trade deadline. The San Diego Padres paid a lot for Tanner Scott and Jason Adam. The Los Angeles Dodgers added plenty of players to their roster, even accepting the medicals on Jack Flaherty that scared off the New York Yankees. We’ll see how those types of moves turn out. Not every star that changes uniform midseason is someone’s Yoenis Cespedes. Many end up as their Darin Ruf.

Holding back this year, in a season where the Mets didn’t necessarily expect to compete this seriously, has been accepted by a bulk of the fanbase. Those who wanted to see a lot more were likely already unhappy with the direction of the franchise. Since joining the Mets we’ve seen Stearns show a lot of restraint. We wouldn’t have seen J.D. Martinez signed if not for his asking price drop tremendously. He never gave into any Pete Alonso contract demands. So far, he has been very “thank you, next.”

Eventually, the Mets will need to go for the finishing move. The kind of trade deadline move that propels them into a stratosphere like no other. Get a Juan Soto. Find your Ben Zobrist. Trade for and then extend your Luis Castillo. The pitcher, not the one who drops final outs of games at Yankee Stadium.

Executives will never please everyone. For every person shouting the team should’ve done more, there are others sighing that the farm system remains strong. 

A strong minor league faction of players can only get you so far. Knowing who to keep, who to use as leverage for help now, and so on and so forth is the best tool to have.

All warriors have a finishing move. Did Stearns leave his locked up or is being sensible his less-thrilling fatality? The "save for retirement" folk among us were probably pleased with what happened last week. Those living for the moment might not feel the same way.