David Stearns Gives Vital Update on Mets' Deadline Plans

This is great to hear so far

Feb 11, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; (left to right) Ben Zauzmer, Mets Assistant General Manager and David Stearns, Mets President, Baseball Operations, watch pitchers warm-up during spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are off to one of the most disappointing starts in franchise history, but are doing all that they can to climb out of the early hole that they dug themselves. The Mets have been hovering around 10 games under .500 for the majority of the second half of May, but will finish the month with at least a .500 mark after a 7-19 record in April. The Mets were considerably better in May than in April, but they will need to take another step to truly be back in the race.

Between the better play of rookie outfielders AJ Ewing and Carson Benge and strong pitching, they have the makeup of a team that could get back into the hunt. Injuries have begun to lighten up for manager Carlos Mendoza and his squad after the returns of Jared Young and AJ Minter, and Jorge Polanco is seemingly not far behind. There are plenty of reasons for optimism around this club, but they'll actually need to put it together on the field, something they've struggled with all year.

With New York entering play on Saturday at nine games under .500, most are assuming the team will be shipping talent out at the 2026 MLB Trading Deadline, set to be Aug. 3. However, the only voice that matters in this situation, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, isn't quite as sure about their direction as everyone else appears to be. When asked, his response was one that will shock Mets fans.

David Stearns does not believe the Mets' trade deadline direction has been decided yet

In media availability on Friday before their walkoff win against the Miami Marlins, Steans noted that there is going to be a moment in the season at which he will decide the deadline fate of his team, but he added that they "are not anywhere close to that" point.

David Stearns said there will obviously come a time before the trade deadline at which the Mets will have to decide to buy or sell, but that they don’t think they’re “anywhere close to that” point yet.

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 29, 2026

The Mets are 57 games into their season, with 105 remaining before the 2026 season comes to a close. New York probably have another month before those decisions are made, and a lot can happen in a month.

The Mets would have the best starting pitcher available on the market in Freddy Peralta, and other pieces that would make sense for a ton of contenders, such as infielder Brett Baty and relievers AJ Minter and Brooks Raley. Beyond them, the likes of Huascar Brazoban and Clay Holmes, despite his injury, should draw interest from plenty of teams. Despite that, the Mets could find themselves in a scenario in which they are adding and not selling.

To Stearns' credit, the month between now and July is one of the more eventful ones for New York anyway, whether for good or for bad. The Mets have four teams ahead of them in the NL Wild Card picture on their June schedule, which could either help them climb back into contention or push them far enough down that the decision is made for Stearns. June is always an interesting month for the Mets, but this year it could be the month that saves their season.