Steve Cohen declared David Stearns will remain as Mets president of baseball operations despite the team's disappointing season. After firing manager Carlos Mendoza last week, Cohen addressed speculation about Stearns' future, stating emphatically: "I'm just not gonna do it." The owner emphasized Stearns still has three years remaining on his contract and deserves more time to rebuild the franchise.

Stearns arrived in New York after building the Milwaukee Brewers into consistent winners, with Cohen targeting him for years. The Mets reached the NL Championship Series in 2024, falling two wins short of the World Series. However, 2025 brought a dramatic collapse from having the best record in baseball in mid-June to missing the playoffs entirely in Juan Soto's first season after signing a $765 million contract.

The offseason overhaul saw Stearns trade away most of the team's veteran core. He dealt Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil, while Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz departed via free agency. Additions included Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., and Bo Bichette on a $126 million contract. These moves have largely backfired due to injuries and underperformance.

Entering their series finale against Toronto, the Mets sit at 36-50, 14.5 games behind Atlanta and 10 games from the final wild-card spot. Fan Graphs gives them just a 3.8% chance at postseason play. Cohen believes stability trumps "burn and churn" culture, though he acknowledged both he and Stearns made mistakes in their rebuild strategy.