NL East front office grades midway through 2024: Braves, Mets thriving
By Bill Felber
New York Mets: David Stearns, president of baseball operations. Grade: A.
In his first season running the Mets, Stearns has done what new execs almost always do: he’s slashed the dead weight. A half-dozen 2023 Mets considered expendable were cast adrift to free agency, only to be picked up by new teams.
Those new teams are generally regretting their signings, for those six ex-Mets have a combined -3.3 WAA impact on their new teams.
To date, Stearns has made moves impacting 29 major league players, those moves breaking 15-14 in favor of the Mets.
To the extent there's a problem, it's that none of the arrivals have been consequential. Of two callups, 14 free agents and six trade acquisitions, only pitcher Adrian Houser has had an impact of as much as one game of value in either direction, and Houser’s -1.0 WAA is hardly laudable.
The most productive arrival, backup catcher Luis Torrens, is at +0.7, but that’s in just 10 games. There's no doubting Jose Iglesias' vibe impact has been tremendous. Unfortunately, that isn't what we're calculating here.
Score: +3.1. Grade: A.