Steve Cohen’s years-long quest in search of a president of baseball operations has finally come to a satisfying and exciting close. The Mets officially hired David Stearns, their openly coveted target, to be their first president of baseball operations on October 2. Stearns met with members of the media at Citi Field and hosted a variety of questions on topics ranging from managerial candidates to player extensions and more.

Below are a few noteworthy points from Stearns’ press conference.

What’s The Competitive Window?

One of the first questions Stearns faced today was the exact timeline on when the Mets would play competitive ball again. Rumors swirled once former Met Max Scherzer claimed the team was now looking to 2025 or 2026 to make a run for a championship. Stearns put those comments to rest, offering instead, “We’re going to aim to put together a competitive team next year that our fans can be excited about.”

That’s the plan. The Mets plan to compete in 2024 but will do so in a way that doesn’t deter them from competitiveness in the future. Previous head honchos in Queens were notorious for trading away prized prospects like Pete Crow-Armstrong or Jarred Kelenic for either rental players or poor contracts. Stearns will ensure that is a thing of the past as he takes over and adopts a strategy of building homegrown players for sustained success and dipping into free agency when needed.

The Managerial Search Begins Now

With Buck Showalter relieved of his duties, Stearns now has the opportunity to bring in the manager of his choice. While he didn’t go into the nitty gritty of everything on his managerial wish list, he noted, “There is no one I have in mind. We are going to cast a wide net. We’re going to have a real process.” Of course, many assume that current Brewers skipper and Stearns’ former colleague Craig Counsell is the top candidate for the role as his contract expires at the end of this season.

Whoever Stearns decides to hire will reign in a new era in Mets history, along with the first president of baseball operations. The new manager will be someone who is most likely analytically driven, as that is both Stearns’ sweet spot and where Steve Cohen has wanted the Mets to move toward. More importantly, they will be someone who is ready and open for a true collaboration process as Stearns notes that, “He views the manager position as a true partnership, someone working side-by-side with him and the rest of the baseball operations group.”

The Polar Bear Plan

One of, if not the most, pressing issues for the Mets to resolve this offseason is what they will do with All-Star slugging first baseman Pete Alonso. The right-handed power-hitter heads into his final year before he can hit free agency, but there have been reports as recently as September that the Mets and Alonso are working towards an extension.

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Stearns moved for further optimism today in hopes of an extension when he said, “I expect Pete to be the Opening Day first baseman next year.” While this doesn’t promise an extension, rumors poured in after the trade deadline that Alonso was a centerpiece in talks with none other than the Brewers. It’s clear Stearns is aware of the star power Pete brings on and off the field to the Mets. Now it’s time to see how extension talks carry into the offseason.

There’s No Special Sauce

For as long as Stearns has been in the game, he’s always been tied to a “formula.” In Milwaukee, it led to four consecutive playoff berths and helped start a playoff juggernaut in Houston. He’s been described as a “pitching guru,” someone known for developing pitching, making strategic trades and then dipping into free agency to fill out the missing pieces. However, he specified today that there is, indeed, “no special sauce to a winning team or any magic formula.”

When discussing how to build a winner with SNY’s Steve Gelbs, Stearns excitedly mentions the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Mets. He noted that he looks at those teams when thinking about roster construction and how “the team you look at in spring training  isn’t always going to be the team who is going to help you win games in September.”

Coming Full Circle

In the however many years Stearns has been attached to the Mets, one of the things that always comes up is that he grew up a diehard Mets fan, back to the days of Mike Piazza while listening to Gary Cohen and Bob Murphy on the radio. Stearns made note of that today, emphasizing, “I know how much this team means to our fans and our community… I’ve ridden the rollercoaster of disappointment and hope along with every other Mets fan and I know ultimately I am here working for our fans.”

While Stearns’ comments regarding the managerial search and Alonso were important, this quote might be what has a lasting impact on the fans. Having an owner as passionate and loyal as Steve Cohen, a man who listens to the fans and now a baseball operations president who understands the fans because he was a fan, especially in New York, is vital. Even though Cohen patiently waited for Stearns to become available, Mets fans have been waiting for another one of their own on the inside who is just as loyal and committed as they are to bringing another championship back to Queens.

Final Thoughts

While there are no guarantees in how someone will perform in a role, the 2023 Mets are the perfect example of that; Stearns brings one of the strongest modern baseball backgrounds to Queens the Mets have seen possibly ever. He has the potential to bring the franchise to new heights, something Cohen and fans are banking on. Stearns has made it clear he’s eager to get to work for his hometown team, and there’s a refreshing aura of hope in the air for Mets fans.