Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns isn’t sugarcoating things: his job is to “put a winning team on here, on the field, every single year.” He’s always “under pressure,” and after a 2026 season that saw him in an end-of-season news conference on Monday, that pressure cooker is definitely still on high. As the team looks ahead to 2027, there are some massive questions hanging over Queens.
Bo Bichette’s Future Is Far From Certain, Ronny Mauricio Is Running Out of Time
One of the biggest question marks is undoubtedly Bo Bichette’s contract. The dude’s got an opt-out decision to make, and Stearns flat-out admitted he hasn’t even had those discussions with Bichette yet. This is big, because Bichette put up a .260/.312/.390 slash line with 18 homers and 78 RBI in 160 games this year. That’s a solid bat, and his decision is going to impact a lot. Meanwhile, Ronny Mauricio showed some serious “flash” with two home runs last weekend, capping a 20-game sample where he slashed .220/.258/.441 with four homers and eight RBI. Here’s the kicker: Mauricio goes into next year “out of options.” That means he’s competing for a spot next season, and you know the stakes are high there. Stearns saw the potential, and Mauricio’s going to need to show it consistently.
Baty’s September Surge, Alvarez’s Encouraging Defense
Then there’s Brett Baty. Man, did he turn it on in September! He slashed a crazy .333/.417/.608 with three home runs and 16 RBI. That’s a massive uptick from his season line of .236/.309/.371 with 11 dingers and 56 RBI in 143 games. Stearns sounds cautiously optimistic, believing Baty’s “mindset perspective,” “level of belief in himself and how he works through an at-bat, is different right now.” But he also knows we won’t truly know until we see it “for an extended period.” We’ve gotta hope that September wasn’t just a fluke. Francisco Alvarez had an “up and down” fourth MLB season, slashing .233/.311/.399 with 16 homers and 43 RBI. But here’s the good news: his second half behind the plate was “really encouraging.” His defense, command of the pitching staff, and game-calling all took a significant step forward. That’s huge for the pitching staff, and a credit to Alvarez for not getting frustrated.
Senga’s Role Still Up in the Air for Next Season
Finally, Kodai Senga’s role for 2027 is still TBD. He started only 8 of 31 games and eventually moved to the bullpen. Stearns knows where Senga’s “passion” lies, implying a desire to start, but the determination on whether he’s a reliever or back in the rotation won’t be made until the team gets ready for next season. With so many questions around key players, next season’s camp is going to be absolutely vital for the team to figure out exactly what kind of squad they’re putting on the field.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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