It doesn’t take much for New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to get fans riled up.
He almost effortlessly did so again on Monday, when he answered a retrospective question about whether he’d approached Pete Alonso differently during the previous free agency.
“I think that’s a very fair question. The truth is in this job, I don’t get mulligans,” Stearns said, via SNY Mets.
“I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year. And the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough.”
David Stearns was asked if he would've handled the Pete Alonso situation differently:
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 28, 2026
"The truth is in this job, I don't get mulligans. I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year and the totality of our first base production wasn't good enough" pic.twitter.com/ByEQGI6Y9c
Unsurprisingly, fans didn’t like what Stearns said.
Stearns is such a horrible baseball executive. I cannot believe Cohen, who supposedly wants to win, allows for this clown to continue being POBO or whatever he’s called This Mets staff will go down as the most horrendous and atrocious staff in Mets history.
— Princido Texidor (@El_Jefe_Texidor) September 28, 2026
— Crypto Maniac (@CryptoMani0kyw) September 28, 2026
Mulligans? You let one of the best power hitters in the game walk bc you thought you were smarter than you are.
— Donniepopper (@DonniePopper) September 29, 2026
Mulligans? You let one of the best power hitters in the game walk bc you thought you were smarter than you are.
— Donniepopper (@DonniePopper) September 29, 2026
Hard to believe this guy still has a job.
— Bryan Shaffer (@Shaffer_Bry) September 28, 2026
Alonso spent his first seven seasons in the big leagues with the Mets and immediately blossomed into a star, leading the majors in home runs in his rookie season in 2019 with 53.
Years later, he took his talents to the American League via free agency, signing a 5-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, a move that alienated a lot of Mets fans, especially since New York reportedly did not make an offer to the slugger.
In his first season with the Orioles, Alonso led the AL with 43 homers while slashing .267/.363/.522 and posting a 149 OPS+.
Meanwhile, the Mets struggled to find solid production at first base and finished last in the NL East with a 74-88 record. Their first basemen finished the 2026 regular season 26th in the big leagues with just a .302 wOBA and an underwhelming 91 wRC+.
