Mets legend Keith Hernandez didn’t mince words as the club’s offseason overhaul reached a breaking point.
Reacting to the departures of Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, and Edwin Díaz, Hernandez called the moment “explosive,” saying he had “not seen this kind of moving in a new direction” in all his years around the franchise.
“I’m a little bit speechless. This is very explosive,” Hernandez said in a clip shared on X/Twitter, via SNY. In the years that I’ve been with the Mets, I have not seen this kind of moving in a new direction, I guess. It is profound.”
Over the span of 18 days, the Mets have traded Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien, allowed Díaz to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and let the all-time franchise home run leader, Pete Alonso, sign with the Baltimore Orioles.
As the club reshapes their roster after a disappointing season, Hernandez framed the moment as defining for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
In an interview on SNY on Wednesday, Hernandez noted that Stearns has already moved on from “three of your, probably, most popular players” from a core that had been together for years but failed to succeed. The decisions, he suggested, reflect a clear change in philosophy.
Hernandez added that it’s clear Stearns is focusing on defense and pitching over star power. He pointed to how the 1969 Mets were built — on elite arms and run prevention rather than offense.