Mets' David Stearns Not on Hot Seat Yet, Per MLB Insider

According to this MLB insider, the Mets are not considering firing David Stearns at the moment.

Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With the New York Mets floundering to start the 2026 season, many fans are clamoring for a change of leadership.

The call for change has only grown louder after the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies fired skippers Alex Cora and Rob Thomson, respectively. As such, the security of New York manager Carlos Mendoza is being called into question despite the players vouching for him.

There is a legitimate argument that the Mets' problems aren't related to Mendoza at all, but rather president of baseball operations David Stearns. With this in mind, the Foul Territory podcast addressed the possibility of the Mets, along with the Phillies and Red Sox, making a front office change in the near future (Dave Dombrowski and Craig Breslow in the cases of Philadelphia and Boston).

MLB insider Ken Rosenthal subsequently stated that Stearns (and Dombrowski) is not at risk of being fired from his position, particularly compared to Breslow.

"David Stearns is much more established than Craig Breslow, and works for an owner who is not as reactionary as [Red Sox owner] John Henry," Rosenthal said. "Steve Cohen might ultimately become that way, but he hasn't been... if this team flops, and this makeover Stearns orchestrated during the offseason is a failure, then I would imagine Cohen considers a change."

"Stearns has a longer deal, I don't know that he's under quite the same pressure [as Breslow]. But if the Mets do flop, the noise is going to get incredibly loud around Stearns. It's pretty loud right now, and we'll just have to see how that all plays out."

David Stearns and Dave Dombrowski likely aren't under the same kind of pressure as Craig Breslow, says @Ken_Rosenthal. pic.twitter.com/WCTgdxw3aG

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 28, 2026

When Would the Mets Consider Firing David Stearns?

Based on Rosenthal's analysis, it appears that Stearns' job is safe at the moment. However, the Mets would likely wait for the entire season to play out; if they end up missing the postseason, that's when Stearns would possibly be in danger of getting fired.

Steve Cohen's pursuit of Stearns was well-documented, and he ultimately signed him to a five-year, $50 million contract on October 1, 2023 to be the Mets' president of baseball operations. Although Stearns' moves in his first offseason like bringing in Sean Manaea and Luis Severino were praised due to their roles in the Mets' magical 2024 season, his later moves (save for the Juan Soto signing, which is more attributed to Cohen) have come under criticism.

In particular, Stearns went under fire for his handling of Pete Alonso's free agency in consecutive offseasons. Despite Alonso's status as a beloved homegrown superstar, Stearns refused to give him a long-term deal and ultimately let him walk to the Baltimore Orioles this past winter. This led to him signing Jorge Polanco to play first base while also giving Mark Vientos and Brett Baty reps; the Mets' first base situation is now extremely unstable with Polanco injured and both Baty and Vientos struggling.

"I'm happy with our defense. Run prevention as sort of the whole - pitching plus defense - we've had moments that have been really, really good and we've had a couple of moments that haven't been so good."

David Stearns talks about the Mets' defense so far this season: pic.twitter.com/q4J1gZdZ07

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 24, 2026

Other controversial moves include the Frankie Montas signing, trading Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien, letting Edwin Diaz leave for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and signing Bo Bichette to play third base. The Bichette signing still needs more time for a full verdict, but the Nimmo-for-Semien trade is looking ugly already and the Montas contract is one of the worst in the Mets' recent history.

Despite his well-deserved reputation for pursuing premier free agents and trade targets, Cohen is considered far more patient compared to other free spenders and trusts his front office in constructing the Mets. However, he still has very high expectations for the club and was not shy in expressing his disappointment in last year's team. Missing the postseason in consecutive years despite spending over $300 million on player payroll could be when his patience runs out.

As Rosenthal alluded to, Stearns' job may become far less certain if the Mets go on to miss the playoffs. With the team languishing at 10-19 (despite a convincing win on Tuesday), Cohen may have no choice but to make a change at the end of the year if things don't turn around.

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