There is work for Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to be done and not as much time to do it. 

Major League Baseball’s lockout looms on Dec. 1, meaning business should be coming in hot and heavy when the annual GM meetings begin on Tuesday in Las Vegas. Put all the front offices in one place, add in some player agents, and a feeling of impending doom, and things will likely start rolling. 

Stearns is not in the business of rebuilding MLB’s most disappointing team in 2026 — one that started with legitimate pennant aspirations only to finish last in the NL East. The foundation of a contender is in there somewhere, should everyone stay healthy. Any team would like its chances with Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, and a crop of youngsters who hit the ground running over the summer, whether that be Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, or AJ Ewing. 

The right strings have to be pulled, and a very clear path back from the abyss seems clearly in front of Stearns. Now he just has to take it. 

Here are three things the Mets should be going all out on at these GM meetings:

Starting pitching

Tarik Skubal is the crown jewel of the starting-pitching market in free agency, and he could potentially be the last player for quite a while to sign a mega contract worth between $300 million and $400 million, assuming there is some semblance of a salary cap put in place. 

Stearns does not normally give out big contracts to pitchers, but he lost the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes by offering the identical 12-year, $325 million deal that he took from the Dodgers. And if Steve Cohen wants something, he’s likely going to push Stearns to make a play for it. 

It would destroy any sort of previous high that Stearns has successfully negotiated with a pitcher, which came in the form of a three-year, $75 million deal to re-sign Sean Manaea after the 2024 season. 

If Skubal opts to stay in Los Angeles, or sign elsewhere, what’s the Mets’ play? They could push for a reunion with Clay Holmes and also go after another converted reliever-turned-ace, Michael King. Stearns could also try to pull off another big trade for what they hope would be an ace, though it failed with Freddy Peralta this season. Still, there are whispers that Tampa Bay Rays star Drew Rasmussen could be had for the right price. 

 

First base

Of any spot on the non-pitching roster, this is the biggest question mark. It would be irresponsible for Stearns to go into the season thinking Jorge Polanco, Jared Young, and Brett Baty can replace the production lost when Pete Alonso was allowed to walk to Baltimore last winter. 

Teruaki Sato has been posted by the Hanshin Tigers, coming off his second straight Central League MVP and a Triple Crown win. The left-handed slugger is a third baseman, but is capable of making the move to first base, especially on a Mets team in which Bichette opted into the second year of his contract. 

At the very least, it’s another option to catch lightning in a bottle. Stearns passed on Munetaka Murakami last winter, and he hit 35 home runs with the Chicago White Sox this season. 

For more on the Mets, visit AMNY.com