ORLANDO, Fla. — Tuesday was the kind of brutal winter day the New York Mets were not supposed to endure anymore. Whatever pressure president of baseball operations, David Stearns, felt after one of the most disappointing seasons in club history has only been amplified by a meandering start to the winter.
Edwin Díaz is a Los Angeles Dodger.
His deal is for three years and $69 million — a contract comfortably within the Mets’ means. New York had been wary of extending longer to four or even five years for Díaz; it was a surprise to see Díaz sign elsewhere for only three years.
That Díaz chose the Dodgers justifies questioning why he preferred Los Angeles, despite repeatedly expressing a genuine affinity for New York over his seven years with the club.
Speaking at the Winter Meetings late Tuesday afternoon, Stearns offered no comment on the Díaz deal, citing MLB restrictions on speaking publicly about deals not yet finalized. (Not all teams follow these regulations as stringently, but the Mets under Stearns always have.) Instead, he spoke glowingly about Devin Williams, the closer the Mets signed last week to pre-emptively replace Díaz.
Stearns’ real commentary, the only meaningful commentary, will reside less in anything he says than in what he does between now and Opening Day. One year ago, after a surprising NLCS appearance and the signing of Juan Soto, Stearns was the toast of New York. Now, the credibility he’d swiftly built up with the fan base has quickly deteriorated, first because of a stunningly mediocre 83-79 regular season and now because of an offseason approach that has furrowed brows in the sport.
He’s traded Brandon Nimmo and permitted Díaz to leave. Pete Alonso was meeting with multiple teams Tuesday. Jeff McNeil and David Peterson, two other long-tenured players, have been the subject of trade conversations. And there has been much more reporting about what the Mets don’t want to do than what they’d like to do.
At multiple points already this winter, he has eschewed the easy path; in doing so, he’s magnified the spotlight on himself for the rest of the offseason. Fans who are skeptical of his ability to spend at the appropriate level have more fodder Tuesday night than they did Tuesday morning. Those who doubt he can build a roster that can dethrone the Dodgers have another exhibit to enter into evidence.
It’s important to take a step back and acknowledge the risks in reacting too harshly to a narrative in the middle of the plot. There is ample time for Stearns and the Mets to finish the offseason in a strong position, and the executive made that point first in his comments Tuesday.
“I’m very optimistic about where our offseason is headed,” he said. “We’ve certainly got work to do, but there are a lot of good players out there, and I’m confident we’re really going to like where our team is once we get to Opening Day.”
There remain options to bolster the bullpen, be they proven closers like Robert Suárez and Pete Fairbanks, or more set-up options like Tyler Rogers and Luke Weaver. Stearns referred to an outfield market generally viewed as shallow as “robust,” if you account for trade possibilities. Alonso is still available, of course. And the Mets still have the money and, maybe just as importantly, the farm system, to acquire high-end players. Stearns has long excelled in the trade market, and this winter should provide him a chance to do so again.
Tuesday, though? Tuesday felt bad for a fan base that had grown fond of Díaz. That affection had developed despite the high cost it initially took to trade for him, despite the miserable first season, despite some ups and downs along the way. Stearns can hope this offseason follows that blueprint, from disdain to delight. That isn’t the easy path either.
