4. The rotation needs help
The 2017 Mets ended the season with one starting pitcher having thrown 30 or more starts- Jacob deGrom. All of Harvey, Matz, Syndergaard, and Wheeler made less than 30 starts and were ineffective when they did pitch. The depth guys, Gsellman and Lugo, pitched to an ERA close to 5 and made more starts than was expected on opening day. Alderson addressed this problem by signing Jason Vargas to a 2-year contract.
The 2023 Mets were no different in this regard either. Kodai Senga is the only Mets starter to have made close to 30 starts. Jose Quintana missed most of the season due to injury, and the depth guys in Megill and Peterson pitched almost identical to Gsellman and Lugo in 2018. My expectation from Stearns is to pursue Yamamoto, but also sign 1 or 2 starting pitchers to mid-tier contracts more like Vargas than Scherzer or Verlander.