Is David Stearns’ approach smothering the Mets? After losing the series to the Milwaukee Brewers, the team continues to make last place their summer residence. With the trade deadline approaching and the season slipping away, instead of navel-gazing, members of the team’s vast community stepped forward to offer assessments on how to fix the franchise. Terry Collins led the team to the 2015 National League pennant.
His team was just a dozen outs away from winning the World Series. Buck Showalter managed the team for only two seasons, but he led them to the playoffs and their first 100-win season in three decades. As a result, each understands the delicate ecosystem and culture of a winning Mets team. Newsday writer Laura Albanese detailed the two managers.
The Utility Fallacy: Why Positional Shuffling Harms Player Offense
Under Stearns, the Mets signed free agents to play positions in which they have little to no major league experience. For example, Jorge Polanco and Bo Bichette started the season in unfamiliar places. Polanco operated at first, and Bichette took over third base.
Additionally, Brett Baty, a natural third baseman, sees time at first, right, and left. Mark Vientos, also a third baseman, saw time at first, as well. Only Bichette looked relatively comfortable. Meanwhile, the other three struggled to even play competent defense.
What should’ve been an inning-ending flyout turned into a two-run triple after Brett Baty misjudged the ball in right field.
The Brewers added another run on an RBI single.
Instead of leading 1-0, the Mets now trail 3-1 after two innings. pic.twitter.com/EIg3Jd71wQ
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) July 22, 2026
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“They think every guy can be a utility player, and that’s not true.”
Polanco played the majority of his career as a middle infielder. The pressure of playing a new spot on the fly at the major league level is tough to handle. Normally, utility players played multiple positions in the minors, providing a foundation for fluid movement between positions. The need to study positional charts takes away the ability to focus on hitting. Collins wholeheartedly dismisses the shuffling.
“It shouldn’t, but it does. Your first thought is, ‘I’ve got to move here.’ So you’re looking at defensive charts rather than the offensive charts. There’s a lot of stress on guys… When you walk into the ballpark as a big-league player—especially a good big-league player—you know where you’re playing, you know where you’re hitting, and you’re relaxed and you go do that job. Leave them alone.”
Immediately after Mark Vientos made an error at first base, the New York Mets fans started chanting “Pete Alonso” 😭 pic.twitter.com/9ozIHoodby
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) June 26, 2026
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Lessons from Winning Foundations
The Philadelphia Phillies embrace the hard-nosed approach of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. The Los Angeles Dodgers exude the veteran professionalism of Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betts. Under Stearns, the Mets lack that overarching pattern. Showalter delivered a telling indictment of the team.
“When you think of the Mets, what’s their identity? It’s going to take strong leadership and, more importantly, it’s going to take turning those people loose to do what needs to be done. You can make the phone calls and do the homework to make sure about it. And yes, they’re getting harder and harder to find because guys don’t want that responsibility and the scrutiny that comes with it . . . But you go around the great teams, and you know [who that guy] is . . .”
For the most part, people thought that Francisco Lindor was the unquestioned team leader. However, an alleged beef with former outfielder Brandon Nimmo and an icy relationship with Juan Soto submerged that thought. The Mets need to use the rest of the season to figure out how to rebuild culture and add the right mix of players. A last-place team with a $300 million payroll is unacceptable to even former Mets managers.
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