David Stearns Admits Mets Didn’t Do Enough to Fix Pitching

The New York Mets’ 2024 campaign started with hope, but things unraveled fast. Team president of baseball operations David Stearns didn’t dodge responsibility.

The Mets sat at 45-24 before injuries, shaky pitching, and defensive mistakes sent the season into a spiral. Stearns offered a blunt look at what fell apart and hinted at how the club might bounce back.

Rotation setbacks and bullpen overuse plagued the Mets. Their season quickly became a warning for anyone building a roster without enough long-term depth.

A Strong Start That Couldn’t Last

For a while, the Mets looked like real contenders. They rode a hot streak and stayed in the playoff hunt.

But that didn’t last. Injuries to key starters like Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill, and Griffin Canning left the rotation in pieces.

Injuries and the Pitching Freefall

Without Senga, Megill, and Canning, the Mets scrambled for options. They leaned on emergency arms like Paul Blackburn and rookie Blade Tidwell.

They even tried bullpen games, but that just highlighted how thin their pitching really was. Veterans Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas couldn’t make it back from the injured list, which only made things worse.

Stearns admitted the Mets needed to be more aggressive about finding pitching help during the season. Still, he stood by his decision not to overpay at the trade deadline.

This gamble left the rotation shaky and put extra pressure on the bullpen.

Run Prevention Woes

Some hitters had strong years, but the offense came and went. The real problem was stopping runs.

Stearns blamed the pitching and defense for blowing leads and letting opponents rally.

Defense Adding to the Problem

Pitching wasn’t the only issue. Defensive mistakes piled up in close games.

Missed cutoff throws, misplayed grounders, and untimely errors all hurt. The Mets couldn’t play the kind of defense needed to help a battered rotation.

Offensive Efforts Not Enough

The bats had their moments and produced some highlights. But they couldn’t keep it up long enough to cover for the pitching problems.

The rotation, defense, and lineup never clicked at the same time, so the team struggled to put together winning streaks when it mattered most.

Stearns’ Vision Moving Forward

After the season, Stearns talked about building up the starting rotation from within. He mentioned Nolan McLean as a possible future ace—maybe wishful thinking, but it signals a shift.

He’s pushing for more player development instead of always buying talent. It’s a big change, and honestly, it’s about time.

Proactivity and Aggression in Roster Moves

Stearns said the Mets have to be more proactive with roster moves. Waiting around just doesn’t work in this league.

Depth and resilience aren’t optional if you want to survive a baseball season. The 2024 campaign made that painfully obvious.

• Strong starts can be undone without depth — Early success needs a backup plan for injuries.
• Pitching resilience is paramount — You’ve got to have reliable arms ready to step in.
• Defense is equally important — Bad fielding just makes pitching problems worse.
• Proactive roster management pays off — If you wait too long, the season slips away.

—
If you want, I can also create an **SEO-driven meta description** and targeted **keyword list** for this blog post so it’s fully optimized for search rankings.

Would you like me to do that?
 
Here is the source article for this story: David Stearns blunt about how Mets handled in-season pitching woes: ‘We needed to do more’