How David Stearns will approach his rotation philosophy after Mets’ plan went up in flames

The lengthiest contract David Stearns has awarded a Mets starting pitcher is the three years handed to Sean Manaea.

Last offseason, he did not utilize the trade market and signed what he hoped would be bargain, shorter-term deals for Clay Holmes (which worked this season), Frankie Montas (which did not work) and Griffin Canning (which worked until injury struck).

An offseason prior, Stearns had brought in Manaea and Luis Severino on one-year, pillow contracts. 

He has shown an unwillingness to explore larger, longer contracts for starting pitchers who can break.

He has not been willing to pay prospect prices, either, notably finishing as a runner-up for Garrett Crochet last winter and letting this year’s trade deadline come and go without landing rotation help. 

After that philosophy led to a collapse for a half-season in which several starters went down, several underperformed and the only dependable rotation arm was a rookie, has his thinking on paying top dollar — in actual money or prospects — for starting pitching changed? 

Stearns was noncommittal. 

“I think we have to be open to everything,” the Mets president of baseball operations said Monday. “I think my continued emphasis is doing everything we can to support our development infrastructure and developing starting pitchers. Ultimately, that is where we’re going to have sustained success. … But going into this offseason, I’m not going to take anything off the table.” 

After lacking an ace this season, the Mets could look toward free agent options such as Framber Valdez, Michael King, Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease or Zac Gallen.

They could explore the trade market for an arm such as Freddy Peralta.

They do not have many surefire front-line starters, but they will return many with the capability of turning into front-line starters. 

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Under contract will be Kodai Senga, Manaea, Holmes, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and the recovering Christian Scott, a group deep in number and volatility. 

Of Senga, who was approaching a second All-Star Game in three seasons before straining his hamstring in June and returning as a declined pitcher, Stearns said, “We know it’s in there.” 

“We know there’s potential,” he added. “We’re going to do everything we can to help get it out of him. But can we put him in ink as making 30 starts next year? I think that would be foolish.” 

Of McLean — who emerged as the closest thing the 2025 Mets had to an ace in his first eight major league starts — Sproat and Tong, Stearns said he expects the young trio to have “a role in the major leagues at some point next year.”

Perhaps McLean has separated himself from the group, but it would not be a surprise to see Sproat and Tong, who flashed potential but not excellence, begin next season with Triple-A Syracuse. 

Though Stearns expressed regret at not showing more “urgency” in bringing in more pitching help, he also suggested that the trade-deadline cost for starting pitchers was high, deals that perhaps would have included a prospect such as McLean. 

“What we faced at the deadline,” Stearns said, “I think our fan base would actually be perhaps even more upset if we had made some of those moves.” 

The starting group he assembled was effective, if short, through mid-June and both ineffective and short after mid-June. 

However he proceeds this offseason, he expects more from his rotation. 

“We need more innings out of our starting staff,” Stearns said. “There’s no question about that.”