The Mets made two notable moves before their disappointing season ended: they gave Andy Green a long-term extension, and they brought in former Twins front office chief Derek Falvey as David Stearns’ right-hand man.
That second hire could end up mattering just as much. Stearns built his reputation on identifying and developing pitchers in Cleveland and with the Brewers, but that formula hasn’t fully taken hold in New York. The Mets have plenty of talent working its way through the farm system, yet only Nolan McLean, who was drafted before Stearns arrived, has really broken through as a frontline starter.
Because of that, New York has leaned heavily on free-agent additions and trade pickups to piece together its rotation over the past three years. A few worked exactly as hoped, including Luis Severino and Sean Manaea in 2024. Others, including Paul Blackburn, Frankie Montas, and Freddy Peralta, fell apart almost right away.
That’s where Falvey comes in. He has plenty of his own misses from his time in Minnesota, but he also helped push a stagnant organization into the modern era, in part by repeatedly finding real value in acquired pitchers.
He got Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts blockbuster, and Maeda finished second in AL Cy Young voting in his first season with the Twins. Falvey also landed Sonny Gray for one prospect, Chase Petty, and Gray finished second in Cy Young voting in his second year with Minnesota.
The list goes on. Falvey moved on from Luis Arraez and brought back Pablo Lopez, another young ace.
He acquired Jake Odorizzi from a Rays team in transition and helped turn him into an All-Star. Then, in 2021, he worked with Tampa Bay again, sending them a 40-year-old Nelson Cruz and getting future two-time All-Star Joe Ryan in return.
Those kinds of moves would stand out in any executive’s résumé, and they’d be especially valuable for Stearns. Falvey has shown a sharp eye for pitching value as both a buyer and a seller, and that should help the Mets as they try to reshape their staff around McLean.
In Other News...
Mets Trade Return Suddenly Looks A Lot Better After Cubs Exit
The Cubs quick exit from the Wild Card Series only sharpened the view from Queens. Chicago was swept by the Padres, and for the Mets, that result offers a fresh lens on the trade deadline deal that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to the North Side in exchange for prospect Jefferson Rojas. Holmes and Taylor were brought in to help a postseason push, but their impact was limited when it mattered most.
Rojas, meanwhile, is the piece New York can point to as it looks beyond this October. He is regarded as a promising young player who could fit into the Mets future roster, and Chicagos short stay in the playoffs makes the return feel even more relevant in hindsight. For a club still balancing present needs with long-term planning, that kind of upside is exactly what can make a deadline move age well. [Read more 🡒]
Nolan McLeans New Arsenal Creates A Real Mets Debate
Nolan McLeans pitching profile looks a lot different in 2026, and for the Mets that is creating a pretty interesting evaluation as they sort out what kind of starter he can become. After working with six pitches in 2025, McLean expanded to eight offerings this year, giving the club more to consider as it tries to decide which parts of his arsenal are real weapons and which ones are still works in progress.
The sinker has stayed steady and effective, but the rest of the mix has not been so simple. His four-seam fastball and cutter have both trended down, while a new slider has shown enough promise to make the old sweeper look less essential. For a Mets team trying to build around young pitching, the question now is whether McLeans added variety is sharpening his game or just making the choice of his best version harder to pin down. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Bullpen Problem Puts David Stearns Under Winter Pressure
The Mets spent the trade deadline moving several bullpen arms out of the picture, and the group theyre left with has only reinforced how much work still needs to be done. President of baseball operations David Stearns has already acknowledged shortcomings in the way the roster was built, and with the relief corps looking shaky, the winter figures to be shaped by how aggressively he chooses to address it.
Free agency should give Stearns a chance to add proven help rather than hope for internal fixes alone, and there are a handful of relievers who fit the profile of possible targets. Chris Minter, Adam, Abreu and Taylor Clarke are among the names to watch as the Mets try to steady a unit that has become one of the clearest pressure points on the roster. [Read more 🡒]