Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo found a pretty funny way to explain David Stearns’ free-agent habits on The Mets Pod, comparing the Mets president of baseball operations to someone who’ll gladly take the longer route if it means saving a few bucks on tolls.
"You know on your GPS when there's the 'no tolls route' but you add on 45 minutes to save $7? That's how he operates way too often in free agency." - @ConnorJRogers on David Stearns
That’s the basic read: Stearns can be cautious, even when the move doesn’t look especially cautious on the surface. He hasn’t exactly been shy about spending - Juan Soto is the obvious reminder of that - but the way he structures deals and attacks the market can still feel like he’s trying to squeeze value out of every corner.
A grocery-store version of the same idea fits, too. Sometimes Stearns loads up on bags like he’s determined to make one trip from the car to the kitchen, even if the whole thing looks awkward on the way in.
That’s the kind of vibe attached to deals like Jorge Polanco’s two-year, $40 million contract, which comes off like a lot of money packed into a short window. Sean Manaea’s three-year, $75 million deal gets the same treatment - it feels like squeezing four years of salary into one less year.
And then there’s the less flattering side of the shopping trip. In Frankie Montas’ case, the analogy turns into somebody grabbing bread that’s already past its expiration date, then somehow managing to swipe the card twice and tip the self-checkout scanner on top of it.
Stearns also has a reputation for not being able to resist a bargain bin label. If there’s a “manager’s special” involved, he’s interested. The point there isn’t that he views players as damaged goods; it’s that he’s willing to bet on value if he thinks the upside is there.
That same approach carries over to relief pitching, where he doesn’t seem married to any one brand. He’ll mix in the store-brand coffee and the pricier Starbucks option, even if he’s not fully sold on what he’s getting.
And as the article put it, “What is Amoretto anyway? It’s delicious for those wondering.”
The larger takeaway is that people have spent plenty of time trying to decode what Stearns is thinking since he arrived with the Mets. Based on his Milwaukee track record, some of this was expected. The Mets’ route to replacing Pete Alonso at first base also came with its own scenic detour, and in grocery terms, that looked like trying to make cheesecake from scratch because the crust in aisle 6 felt too expensive.
With Stearns setting the GPS and filling the bags, the Mets are never going to be boring.
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