David Stearns has steadily dropped breadcrumbs to his player procurement strategy.

In his year-plus with the Mets, Stearns has demonstrated that for players in their twenties with plenty of prime years remaining and a high ceiling, he will advocate to use Steve Cohen’s money aggressively.

Thus, last offseason, the Mets were willing to match the Dodgers’ 12-year, $325 million bid for 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto and would have gone higher had the pitcher’s reps not told them to stop because Yamamoto wanted to play with Shohei Ohtani in Los Angeles.

<div class="nyp-slideshow-modal-image__wrapper"><a href="#" aria-controls="nyp-slideshow-modal" data-slideshow-modal="trigger" title="Open a slideshow of all 3 article images." aria-label="Open a slideshow of all 3 article images." data-slideshow-slide-number="1" data-slideshow-slides-total="3"> 3 </a></div><figcaption>Pete Alonso helped the Mets reach the NLCS. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post</figcaption>

This offseason the Mets agreed to the largest contract ever (years, signing bonus, total dollars) with Juan Soto, who turned 26 in October.

My gut continues to say the most likely solution is a Mets reunion with Pete Alonso. If the Mets never relinquish going long in years, do they offer the highest per-annum deal ever for a first base…{ai:summary}David Stearns has outlined a clear player procurement strategy for the Mets, focusing on acquiring young talent with significant potential. He has shown a willingness to utilize owner Steve Cohen's resources aggressively, as seen in their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the record contract for Juan Soto. These moves indicate a commitment to building a competitive team by investing in players in their twenties who can contribute for years to come. #sports

How Mets can solve Pete Alonso contract dilemma — and the alternatives if they can’t

Loading...