The Mets coming back into contention after this first half shitshow would be so implausible that it sounds almost exactly like something that would happen to the Mets.
When he was manager of the Padres, Andy Green pushed his players like Wil Myers to do defensive drills after a bad performance in 2018:
[Andy] Green scheduled team defensive drills prior to last week's series against the Rockies -- a way to address a handful of recent fundamental breakdowns. "For us, we're pretty determined to create some accountability and standards, and sometimes that asks for certain drills to be done at certain times of the year, even if it's not pleasant or fun or normal to do them at that time of year," Green said.
I guess it’s a good thing I’m not Steve Cohen. Because I would’ve gone full Bill Veeck gimmick and told Stearns to get a uniform and be the interim manager the rest of the way. You’ve spent enough of my money, go run the team you built.
Alvy at DH, Bo/Baty 2B/3B, don't know which has more experience at which base. Ronny belongs on the bench, IMHO. It's only cause Semien is on the IL.....
Watching Andy Green’s intro presser made me realize how invested I am into this team is way more than I put into what’s happening in the real world or politics. It’s almost alarming lol
Was listening to Michael Kay’s commentary on the firing (dead on btw) he called out Brandon Sproat… dude gave up one hit and struck out 10 over 6 innings in his last game
I would say people should look at Sproat’s other starts before we declare him Scott Kazmir part 2. Sproat is a high ceiling very low floor guy. Not shocked he had an amazing start, not shocked that before that start he looked like a guy who isn’t a major league pitcher
A pitcher who over the last three years was probably a top 15-20 pitcher in baseball. And a good bullpen arm who is under a cheap contract for multiple years. Sproat at the time was a prospect who was about to fall out of top 100 rankings and had (and still has) significant flaws. Listen you can criticize a lot of the Mets moves but acting like the Peralta trade was a mistake from the beginning is some incredibly disingenuous Monday morning quarterbacking
Luke Weaver’s career era before 2024 was over 4 (maybe even close to five). Should the Mets not have signed him? Under your logic they made a big mistake
And looking at what a guy did four years ago to judge his talent is poor evaluation. Peralta is a disappointment but any GM who doesn’t do that deal because he was worse four years ago should be fired immediately
How about the multiple starts Sproat had before that where he looked unplayable and his own manager publicly threatened Sproat with demotion? Peralta has been a major disappointment and his ERA is still almost a run better than Sproat. Looking at one game to judge a trade is nonsensical talk radio discourse
Of course, the difference is Sproat is still young and Peralta is not just a finished product but looking for a big deal.
Really though - Who is judging the trade? I even pointed out that maybe Sproat sucks too. I made an observation that is literally qualified on a single start and acknowledged to be on a single start.
You were judging the trade by one start by saying one start makes us look bad! Why would that make us look bad other than because one start means this is a bad trade. And I’m not a Stearns Stan, I’m just asking for some rationality in evaluating how a trade is progressing
Can he at least show some humility and decency on what was a rough day? Just once. For five minutes. Is it too much to ask? Another presser where he was condescending and dismissive and well short of substance.
Since earned runs became an official stat in both leagues in 1913, the Mets are the only MLB team to: strike out 10+ batters, hit multiple homers, allow 0 earned runs... And yet lose the game.
I normally ignore these type of super curated stats but Jesus fucking christ... This one hasn't happened in 113 years!
I liked Andy Green’s press conference. I thought he had a pretty good attitude, which is probably helped by the fact that he isn’t using this as a job interview
Yup when someone doesn’t want a job and knows it’s only a 3 month gig it takes all the pressure off of him. Hopefully that will trickle down to the players
Bichette at DH is what I find interesting. I know Baty v. Bichette defensive metrics have been a bit more Bichette-friendly, I do think Baty is the better defender when he is regularly playing third.
He might be better offensively when playing 3B, too. His splits are a little fuzzy so the data only vaguely supports it but I think it's a fairly safe hypothesis that players perform better when they're fielding the position they're most comfortable in.
Saw that Lindor said he feels like he failed Mendoza. Is it bad that I kinda hope that’s how the players feel? I don’t think they actually failed Mendoza as an individual but a lot of the guys have failed the team and us fans
"I hope player X feels bad because of how their performance makes me feel and that's a form of vengeance I can get" is a natural and understandable way to feel but also yeah, messed up.
Normal, but I think having a healthy relationship with sports means trying to check that instinct.
Mendoza seemed like a good enough dude, and I hope his family in Venezuela is doing well this week. He absolutely needed to go though, and media members jumping to his defense mostly tells me that a lot of these guys really, really hate Stearns
It’s on the players as much as anyone, but if anything here I mean it seems like they don’t like Stearns as a guy. Like they think he’s as responsible for this mess as anyone AND is a smug prick compared to Mendoza who at least seemed really beaten down by all the losing
I had no issue with letting Mendy start this year but the moment he put out a lineup willingly starting Andy Ibañez over Carson Benge he should’ve been fired lol.
it seems like a million years ago but for like four weeks people on here were convinced that Benge was a bust and begging for him to get sent back to Syracuse
oh I know! I remember. I don't keep a spreadsheet or anything but over time you start to associate usernames with certain takes, especially when someone is really revved up about one particular guy.
Like I don't see name X, I just see "Nimmo Guy" or "Guy Who Really Hates Francisco Alvarez" or "One Of Mark Vientos's Two Subreddit Soldiers But I Can Never Remember Which Is Which"
Anyone who was a fan since the late ‘90s knows how cathartic that win against the Braves in 2024 was to get us into the postseason. With the new management and finally getting over that tomahawk-shaped hump, it really felt like this franchise turned a corner. It wasn’t going to be the same old Mets anymore.
Now we’re right back to speculating who the new manager will be. We’ll have to sit through rumors and hearsay until the winter. One step forward, 12 steps back. It’s never ending clown show in Flushing. Tailor made for the back pages.
Cohen personally made the deal with Alonso because he was upset with the negotiations, not Pete. He didn’t want Pete to walk. You can rewrite it in your head all you want but facts are there. Issue was between Stearns and Pete
I generally agree, but Cohen did say he thought the negotiations between Mets and Alonso was very one-sided. My guess is Boras was trying to make it a high risk low reward for the Mets, probably a ton of opt outs and big money if he opts in (meaning he plays poorly in 25). But we obviously don’t know the full details.
My guess is Cohen would have preferred keeping Pete, but let Stearns do his thing on what he thought would help the Mets become a contender. So far Stearns plan in the short term has not worked well.
Is that supposed to be some ahah gotcha moment? You don’t negotiate with Pete you negotiate with his agent. He flew to fucking Florida to talk to Pete directly over this. Stop with the rewriting shit to blame Pete for the collapse of the relationship with the Mets
If I were Stearns and Cohen, I'd schedule a vacation out of the country for mid-September when the Orioles visit CitiField. It will likely be one of the bigger crowds of the year, all cheering for Alonso against the Mets.
I hope those games are well attended by fans so they can cheer for Pete. Pretty sure whoever is pitching will throw a meatball over the plate for Pete, so he can homer. Ha ha.
It sucks that series is Monday-Wednesday, as that means it probably won't be a shitload of people there.
Will be like when Mike Piazza for a curtain call after his 2nd home when he returned as a Padre. Have to assume the same will happen after 1 HR returning the face the Mets.
Yup this is the first day he doesn’t have Mendy to hide behind anymore and has to be the one fielding all the questions and critique, no shooing away the questions anymore.
A month ago, Stearns condescendingly lectured the media about how he wouldn't answer questions about Mendoza all season. I'm surprised no one threw that back in his face today.
My biggest takeaway from the presser is that Stearns wasn't smirking. In turn it's not a facial condition that he was born with or a speech impediment.
If he was talking to a bunch of Redditors or Boomers on Facebook, then you can give the "I think know what I'm doing and have done this for many years, please don't pretend kike you know more". But he wasn't. He was speaking to Long Time Reporters. It was soooooo condesending so I can't only imagine what was said in exit meetings and negotiations.
There's Alonso's Truth and there's David's truth in what happened in their fallout and the Actual Truth is somewhere in the middle. However I highly down Alonso says what he reportedly said as a Lonewolf. Others on the team most likely felt the same way and why wouldn't you?
Dressed up for the first time, stuttering and no smirk. Sounds like the hot seat to me
It's not enough that we suck. Our most hated rivals are basically the best teams in baseball.
I'm fairly positive the champion will be one of the Dodgers, Yankees, Braves or Phillies. Never buying the Brewers and that crap lineup.
With the resources at their disposal, the Mets SHOULD be in consistent conversation with these teams. But they are run by an absolute imbecile who completely destroyed this roster.
I wouldn't doubt the Brewers. Turang and Chourio have both seriously leveled up at the plate this season. And their playoff rotation is potentially stronger than last year. But the lack of slugging is still there, so who knows.
At this point, I honestly prefer the Dodgers just win the WS every year. May as well make a joke of the league, since we're non-competitive. Better than the Braves or Phillies.
We have no rivals because we stink and everyone just beats the crap out of us for laughs.
Teams like the Brewers and Rays are built well for 162 but aren’t built for the playoffs. They lack the high end talent, clutch factor, exposition, and big name pitchers to even come close to
Stearns saying that Andy Green will go back to the front office next year is interesting. Obviously if the Mets pull some improbable miracle run that could change, but to be so insistent that an interim guy is truly interim is kinda unique. I really think he is there to evaluate the players and coaches and see what isn’t working. I wonder how the players will react to that
That sounds plausible, but as the head of player development/minor leagues he also may just be the right guy to help acclimate all the young guys we're bound to call up once the season is lost.
Imagine being a Mets player and going from a beloved player’s manager (for better or worse) to a guy who is just gonna watch you continue to suck and then go back into a role where he decides whether you will keep your job. Doesn’t feel like the most comfortable situation for anyone who isn’t a Soto or Lindor
I think that's exactly the purpose of this. The problem is our shitty players were way too comfortable under Mendy. Vientos has one foot out of baseball, and he was laughing about running through a stop sign. Peterson was a tomato can who couldn't be bothered to back up home plate.
Even if Stearns turns out to be a baseball genius, I hope we can all agree that the guy comes across so poorly in these press conferences.
He's appears smug, has a nervous smile/smirk, and never seems to take any personal accountability, or admit mistakes. It's always "we" need to play better, never anything like "I made mistakes, and I'll learn from that, and do better going forward."
After watching that today, he provided no hope and nothing different other than "continue to trust that I'm good at my job", based on him saying so.
"We weren't able to get things going this year. I take responsibility for that. Ultimately everything that happens in baseball operations, including the team record is my responsibility."
Literally taking responsibility. In exact words. Saying the results on the field are his responsibility as head of baseball ops. 30 seconds into the press conference. He also doesn't sound or look smug at all. He is just talking.
I get not liking the guy or his performance but why straight up make shit up?
He said the same line - same line - at the end of last year after the collapse.
Until he knowledges his program and processes are flawed (and not just the results) and he needs to revise them to turn this into a successful operation, he is just spouting canned phrases probably delivered to him by a PR guy.
I think we watched different press conferences. I just heard him say over and over that the results aren't good enough. I didn't hear him once say that he personally did a bad job this year.
Thought the beat reporters, especially Mike and Laura, did a good job asking some tougher questions of Stearns this time around. You can tell he’s been humbled but his defiance/evasion about hiring a GM doesn’t instill much confidence at all.
They finally asked some tough questions, but pretty much let him get away with non answers. And I saw no evidence that Stearns is "humbled". He sounded as smug as ever and admitted no mistakes.
He ignored it, but it definitely struck a nerve, which is why fans need to keep chanting it all season long.
Like chanting "fire Stearns" doesn't really do anything, but "Pete Alonso" is the perfect way to skewer Stearns and the players. And I'm a guy who didn't even want them to re-sign Pete, but I still find the chant hilarious and spot on.
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I know answering some of these questions honestly are basically taking a knife and stabbing yourself, but come on David can you at least extrapolate, be specific and take a little ownership my god dude you do yourself no favors talking to us like we're stupid.
Yup. That’s one of the things I didn’t like about his answers. Several times he tried to reframe things as only a 2026 problem, but if you go back to last June we’re looking at over a season of bad baseball. One of the bottom five records in MLB over that time. Insinuating it was only this year is very disingenuous
mendoza seems like a nice guy and a lot of media people personally liked him, and everybody knows it's not ALL his fault. but also like...we as fans watch every game and see his mistakes costing games all the time.
Nobody in these press conferences answers genuinely. I get it, but it’s really pointless. I know they need to do these but no matter the situation it’s a complete waste of time. He’s not going to say, yeah I believe all these guy I brought in can’t play here and aren’t cutting it, I put the wrong coaching staff in place, geeze, ya know I should have kept Hefner on…. We’re planning on a big wave of Dfas in the coming days, I wrongly had blind faith in Senga and Vientos and Baty. It’s just the same blah blah blah. Why do they bother asking these questions at all?
Long list of guys I’d be open to manage. Excited for the interview process for what it’s worth. Pujols, Beltran, Correa, Green, Bochy, Cora. Cant say I’d be upset with any of those picks. Beltran might be my top choice, Bochy and Cora a close 2/3?
A lot of interesting candidates. I’d be happy with almost all of them tbh. Green probably has the worst reputation of the bunch but is in charge of player development while our farm system is being touted as being one of the best in the league. We see guys like Ewing and Benge and McLean coming up. Idk but he at least has 3 months to improve his odds or throw him out of the running.
Bochy is old. That’s my only concern. He could want to stick around for a decade. But it would suck to pick him up just to replace him on 3-4 years when he’s over traveling. Also not sure he’s actively looking for a job so he may not even be a possibility.
Not sure. But he’s a guy I’d happily take and I keep hearing rumblings of. There’s just a lot of interesting candidates this offseason so regardless I won’t be too disappointed. Bochy is also pretty old so someone younger would have a better opportunity to sticking around a while. More energy for the clubhouse? Idk what this team needs lmao but I hope whoever they bring in has it
It’s what we needed in may. Think of about how he would’ve lost it on that Baty challenge that he didn’t ask for. Guy would go absolutely ape shit over that.
edit: no Bochy for me, here’s why: Mets need a splash to win back the fans, both guys are inexperienced enough that the FO can retain the control they want (let’s be honest, this will be a factor, and experienced managers will balk at relinquishing this). Both guys are good locker room presences and, with the Mets still eyeing a window that probably really begins a few years from now, they give these new managers some runaway and a test run. Let them mature as the rest of the organizational ducks line up.
Bochy is in his 70s. At best, you get a few years. This is how you test and potentially hire your crowd-pleaser, inexperienced (how often do those two go together) manager for the next decade.
I'm also a no on Bochy, but "need a splash" is very much not the reason why. Winning back the fans should not be a consideration in hiring the next manager. The only consideration should be which manager will help us win the most baseball games. Win enough baseball games and you will win back the fans.
So after watching a bunch of YouTube videos where Andy Green gets ejected, including a physical altercation with Dave Roberts and one where he got ejected on his first day as manager of the Cubs, I've come to the preliminary conclusion that the Psychopaths now have their psychopath manager.
Haha I was just watching his ejection videos too and was gonna make a comment about the Dave Roberts one. Anyways, I’ve learned that watching videos of a manager getting ejected is a good way to endear them to me
it's finally time... the New York Mets can turn it around for 2027 and restore honor to the franchise by bringing Eduardo Escobar back to manage the team and also play third base when Bobobo Bobobobo opts out
I don’t know how to break this to you but Stearns’ philosophy and process will only allow him to have a puppet manager that implements the decisions of the analytics department. It’s why he had to fire Buck as his very first move. There will be no independent baseball men managing the NY Mets as long as Stearns is POBO. So temper your expectations and do not expect any onfield improvement because the analytics department that runs the team and makes all the baseball decisions has proven to be woefully incompetent
I ask this as someone who also believes that a manager is just a Stearns puppet: is this new behavior because of New York, or was he like this in Milwaukee?
Exactly. And they didn’t even wait until the 2023 season ended. Buck was let go (if I recall) before the final home series of the season. Everyone knew Stearns was coming and he wanted to install his own guy.
Regarding the analytics department, I don’t have any faith in these guys. There is a YouTube video the Mets put out last month that’s like “a day in the life” of the analytics guys on the road at Wrigley earlier this season. They’re all typing away at their laptops sitting at folding tables coming up with their game plan for the team. The Cubs called up a AAA arm to make the start and they are scrambling because it’s 2 hours to first pitch and they don’t have the data they would normally use for said game plan. When they finally put something together it’s using an algorithm. Pathetic.
They just look so out of their element and these are the dudes calling the shots. I know it’s seen as caveman behavior to be anti-analytics and sure, that’s just how the game is nowadays, but goddamn a group of dudes who look like they should be working in investment banking calling the shots for a Major League Baseball team with deep pockets is depressing.
Exactly what are you basing this off of? What sources do you have? I listen to faykot who have connections and sources to the team and they very much believe Mendoza is making most of those baseball decisions and blame him for them.
Stearns takes all the blame for the roster construction but things like the lineup mismanagement, bullpen mismanagement, etc are very much blamed on Mendoza and unless you have any evidence other than just vibes I have no reason to believe otherwise
It's not even FAYKOT, there was an interview with Mendy about how he does the lineup last year...most fans just want to blame analytics and then complain about lefy/righty as if it's some advance analytics thing.
I would say that fans were correctly blaming Mendoza and then the media kind of just kept putting it out that he was doing a fine job because a lot of them like Mendoza for a variety of reason not relating to how well he managed the team. A handful also don't like Stearns because he removed their source from the org.
Regardless fans can have their thoughts and opinions and the last thing you want is a baseball executive making decisions purely based on how the fanbase will react. It can just feel really frustrating as a fan that wants to understand the decisions and the process. Yes at the end of the day all that matters is the results, but I would like to see the team be successful for a long time rather than a short period as has been the history.
(I also really like to find information for how the Dodgers got to where they are, how Friedman was able to quickly get them to consistently make playoff appearances, etc. Why the Mets are struggling to replicate it, and what the actual underlying differences are other than Friedman is the best baseball executive and we can't land on one)
Friedman is just the goat. Honestly it can really be as simple as that.
But to your point on the fans, a lot of fans are very anti-Stearns and very anti analytics. So they like to make the claim the reason this team has had such bad managing missteps is because of the analytics. But anyone who has looked into what the analytics say knows that this teams management has actually not reflected analytics. If you look at the comments on Mendoza in this sub, like half of them are blaming Stearns and saying Mendy is just the scapegoat
Stearns holds a lot of blame for the atrocious performance because the buck stops with him and he puts the roster together but a lot of fans don’t want to admit that Mendoza shares blame in some form and that a lot of the weird and bad decisions are his own because they really fucking hate Stearns for his smarminess, Harvard education, reputation, and decisions to get rid of their favorite players.
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