David Stearns Talks Trade Deadline, Competitive Window

After an active trade deadline, David Stearns spoke to the media about his moves and his outlook for the rest of the season. Stearns opened up by praising newly-acquired center fielder Cedric Mullins, saying that he helps boost the team at the plate and in the field.

“We like the player, we like what he brings on both sides of the ball,” Stearns said. “The athleticism, we talk a lot about ways that players can impact games that may not always show up in the box score, and we think Cedric has the ability to do a lot of that.”

Mullins joins a Mets lineup that features a lot of left-handed hitters, and the team as a whole has struggled against left-handed pitching. However, despite being left-handed, Mullins has thrived against southpaws this year, and Stearns said he expects him to be much more than just a platoon bat.

“There have been some real approach changes, and he will find his way into the lineup against lefties,” Stearns said.

Stearns got these trades done without trading any of the team’s major league infielders. Despite the logjam, he still anticipates all of them receiving a considerable amount of playing time.

“Are there going to be one or two guys on the bench every day? Yeah, and they’re probably going to get a really leveraged pinch hit or an at-bat late in the game,” Stearns said. “I think Mendy does a great job figuring out who the right guys are for the lineup given who we’re facing, the attributes of the opposing pitcher, the attributes of the opposing bullpen, and I think we will continue to do that.”

All four of the trades Stearns made were for players on expiring contracts. While the team was engaged on some players with more club control, Stearns said those deals didn’t make as much sense for the team.

“These are the deals that we thought made the most sense for us,” Stearns said. “(We’re) really happy with the players we were able to bring in.”

Stearns also praised his player development department for helping make this trade deadline possible.

“Our amateur talent acquisition departments and our player development group put us in position to have this type of deadline,” Stearns said.

Stearns mentioned that the team was engaged with the starting pitching market, and said he is confident in the arms they have, including his arms in Triple-A. On Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat, Stearns said it’s a matter of finding the right opportunity for them to come to the majors.

“I think both those guys have taken very nice steps forward in their development,” Stearns said. “We’re going to continue to challenge them. We’re going to continue to ask them to get better and work on things, but they’re doing a good job, and if we need someone from Triple-A, I think we’ve got people down there and they’re certainly among them who can help us.”

On Clay Holmes, Stearns said he’s in good physical shape, but he wants to see the righty work deeper into games. Stearns didn’t mention moving Holmes to the bullpen.

“We’ve got to get a little deeper into games. Clearly, Clay knows that,” Stearns said. “He’s working hard to do that, and I think we’ll be able to see it.”

When asked about the moves of rival teams, Stearns said the moves of other NL contenders can’t influence his mindset too much, saying it could lead to ill-advised moves.

“I think we’re focused on following our plan and our strategy,” Stearns said. “If we get too influenced one way or the other about what one of our competitors is doing or not doing, I don’t think that’s going to lead to the most productive behavior on our end.”

On adding Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley, Stearns said he was excited to add two relievers who have experience pitching in the back end of games in high-leverage situations. Stearns added that having Helsley, the former MLB saves leader, in addition to Edwin Díaz, is going to help Carlos Mendoza finish games.

“They’re two very good, experienced closers,” Stearns said. “To have two guys like that who are comfortable in the back end of games, it just makes us better, and it gives Mendy a few more options as he’s trying to figure out how to get the middle innings to the 27th out.”

Stearns acknowledged the players they gave up in these deals, saying he hopes they get to play plenty, but he felt it was the right decision to deal them away. When asked about a window of competing for a title, Stearns said he views his job as trying to give the team a chance to compete every single year.

“I don’t view this as ‘windows’,” Stearns said. “Our responsibility is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series every single year. I view this as the beginning of what should be a very long and sustained period of competitiveness at the highest level.”

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