President of baseball operations David Stearns and interim manager Andy Green spoke with the media before the Mets begin their home stand against the San Francisco Giants.
Andy Green spoke on A.J. Ewing‘s recent struggles discussing how he is handling this slump well and putting in the work. Green specifically stated, “I think he is a guy that we believe in to an incredibly high degree going forward. This will serve him well,” (per SNY Mets). Green also mentioned how Nolan McLean had his struggles earlier in the season and came out on the other side better for it.
Since the trade deadline the Mets have faced many competitive teams that are clearly in the playoff race. This includes the Braves, Rays, Brewers, White Sox, Padres and Astros. Across that span the Mets are 16-11, which is a 96-win pace. Stearns was asked about this and said that this is, “where we should be. That’s what we expect of ourselves.”
Stearns was asked if he has spoken to Bo Bichette about his impending opt-out decision and said he has not. Bichette has five days after the end of the World Series to make his official decision.
When asked if Stearns will hire a general manager, he stated, “We’re always going to look to see if there are ways we can improve our organization in any way. That’s inclusive of the front office. That’s been the case every offseason since I have been here and it will be the case this offseason as well.”
In the past, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported, Stearns had mentioned that the Mets were not “eager” to hire a general manager, so this could be viewed as a change in tone. Recently both SNY and The Athletic discussed the possibility that Green could be the next general manager. MMO also broke down reasons why he could be a good fit. Stearns did confirm that Green is ultimately expected to return to the front office.
Francisco Lindor by Berto Carlo
On Francisco Lindor‘s defense, Stearns mentioned how he has made more mistakes that you would expect but that he does still have good underlying data. He went on to say that he expects next year that Lindor, “completes those plays we are usually seeing him complete.”
When asked if he expects Lindor to be the shortstop next season, Stearns said that there is “no question’ that he will be.
When asked about Kodai Senga‘s late-inning success, Stearns stated that it is fun to see and while Senga would prefer to start, “his investment and the way he embraced that role, I think is a great example for his teammates, for the organization as a whole, and he’s done a great job.”
