The 2026 season for the New York Mets didn't go as planned for many reasons, though it's easy to point to the pitching staff as being a problem at times. 

At times, some of these young starters in the Mets' rotation looked above average, but for the most part, there's a feeling that something has to change over the next couple of months. 

The Mets will have an entire offseason to improve their rotation, and everything David Stearns has said so far suggests that he's going to do just that. It'll be interesting to see what type of players he's going after, though, as there's an argument that he needs to shop for the big boys, including Tarik Skubal. 

Skubal, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers by the Detroit Tigers at this year's Major League Baseball trade deadline, is by far the best player available this winter. Outside of Skubal, it's a decent free-agent class, but nothing special. If Stearns wants to improve his rotation, it'll likely come by signing Skubal, taking a chance on other free agents, or making a big-splash trade.

As for the Skubal situation, the latest report doesn't suggest the Mets are 100% interested in him. That's because of Stearns' history as a decision-maker.

“At his end-of-season press conference, Stearns mentioned wanting 10-12 starting pitchers in the organization at the start of Spring Training. 

“While at least one of those will come from outside the organization, Stearns declined to answer a question regarding his desire to shop at the top of the market -- in other words, to pursue Tarik Skubal, the best starting pitcher available. Committing hundreds of millions of dollars to a soon-to-be 30-something starter is not Stearns’ MO. But picking and choosing lesser starters has yielded checkered results for him. In 2024, it worked brilliantly. In 2025, it did not,” Anthony DiComo wrote.

During his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, Stearns was one of baseball's best at finding talent others couldn't. 

Unfortunately, with the Mets, he often goes for splash moves, but some don't work out, as Mets fans have learned the hard way.

That can change this offseason, but regardless, he needs to do a good job and ensure this team has an above-average staff.

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