NEW YORK (AP) — David Stearns doesn't get a do-over. He knows that all too well.
One day after the New York Mets finished last in the NL East for the first time in 23 years, the team's embattled president of baseball operations was asked a pointed question.
Knowing what he knows now, would he have taken a full swing at re-signing Pete Alonso?
“I think that's a very fair question. The truth is in this job, I don't get mulligans,” Stearns said Monday.
"I also recognize Pete had a tremendous year. And the totality of our production at first base wasn’t good enough.”
When the Mets didn't attempt to retain Alonso in free agency last fall, their homegrown franchise home run leader bolted for a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore as Stearns focused on improving the pitching and defense instead.
“I think I’ll retire the phrase `run prevention,’” Stearns said with a grin. “I don’t know that that one worked particularly well.”
Alonso topped the American League with 43 homers and 113 RBIs, playing in every game for the third consecutive season as the 31-year-old slugger became the first player in major league history to win an RBI crown in both leagues.
New York, meanwhile, never recovered from a 12-game losing streak in April. Despite a record $358 million opening-day payroll, the Mets struggled badly at the plate, were mediocre on the mound and finished 74-88 for their worst mark since 2017.
“This past weekend that we just experienced in Washington, where you are literally playing out the string, it’s miserable. That is a miserable experience for players, for coaches, for executives,” Stearns said during a 33-minute news conference at Citi Field to wrap up the season.
“I think we have an extraordinarily motivated organization, from ownership on down, to ensure that never happens again.”
The absence of Alonso at first base was magnified when lineup mainstays Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor were both sidelined for long stretches because of calf injuries.
Soto finished with a .908 OPS, the second-lowest of his career, while Lindor set full-season career lows with 49 RBIs, three stolen bases, a .225 batting average and a .733 OPS.
Mets first basemen had 18 homers, 77 RBIs and a .667 OPS — the third-lowest OPS at the position, ahead of only Seattle and Arizona.
Alonso received standing ovations from Mets fans before every at-bat during the Orioles’ three-game sweep at Citi Field this month. He took a rare curtain call on the road Sept. 15, when his 300th career homer tied the score for Baltimore in the ninth inning and chants of “Fire Stearns!” rang out from the crowd of 28,097.
Last week, the Mets added former Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey to the front office when he was hired as senior adviser for baseball operations. Falvey will report directly to Stearns.
New York played better late in the season, going 27-22 after the Aug. 3 trade deadline despite a massive selloff and 40-41 overall under Andy Green, who took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired June 26.
Green was given the full-time gig and a three-year contract last week.
Part of the improvement was fueled by rookie outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, who combined for 31 homers and 47 stolen bases while playing strong defense. Rookie pitcher Nolan McLean went 12-10 with a 3.16 ERA in 31 starts.
But going into a critical offseason for Stearns, the Mets have major question marks at first base, second base, in the bullpen and the rotation.
“Over the second half of the season, last few months of the season, we saw some really encouraging signs and we saw some elements of our team take shape that gives us all great optimism for both the near- and long-term future,” Stearns said.
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