By the time 2025 ended, David Stearns had made his point. The old Mets were done. What remains unclear is what version of the team is supposed to show up in 2026.
The New York Mets finished the 2025 season 83–79, second in the NL East, but missed the postseason after an uneven second half. It was a team stuck between contention and transition. This winter, Stearns removed the ambiguity by dismantling much of the core that defined the previous two seasons.
Pete Alonso signed with Baltimore, taking elite power out of the middle of the lineup. Edwin Diaz departed for the Dodgers, ending his run as the bullpen anchor. Brandon Nimmo was traded to Texas, closing the book on one of the franchise’s most reliable everyday players and clubhouse constants.
That trade did return a cornerstone piece. Marcus Semien now anchors the infield, bringing durability, leadership, and steady production. Semien raises the floor of the lineup and gives the Mets a stabilizing presence, but he does not replace Alonso’s power or Nimmo’s on-base impact on his own.
The Mets also signed Jorge Polanco, adding a switch-hitting infielder with postseason experience and positional flexibility. Polanco lengthens the lineup and gives Stearns options, but like Semien, he fits more as a complementary piece than a true offensive centerpiece.
In the bullpen, the Mets moved quickly to replace Diaz. Devin Williams had already been signed, but when Diaz bolted, he was targeted to take over the ninth inning, restoring late-inning credibility, and Luke Weaver was added for rotation and long-relief depth. Williams gives New York a legitimate closer again, but the bullpen still lacks the layered reliability it once had beyond the top arm.
The changes extended beyond the roster. The Mets also overhauled their coaching staff, including parting ways with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Hefner was widely respected for his work developing and stabilizing arms, and his departure signals that this reset is philosophical as much as it is personnel-driven.
Even with those moves, the holes are obvious.
Cody Bellinger would be a perfect fit, helping at first base to platoon with Polanco and in the outfield.
The rotation also needs certainty. While the Mets have usable arms, the margin for error is slim, particularly after a coaching change that could affect how pitchers are deployed and developed.
What defines this offseason is smug uncertainty.
Stearns chose which parts of the recent identity to keep and which to discard. Williams, Semien, and Polanco represent targeted investments. Alonso, Diaz, Nimmo, and Hefner were clearly not the image Stearns wanted around.
With 2026 days away, the Mets are simply unfinished and a bit of a mystery.
