David Stearns Discusses Mets' 'Enormous Opportunity' Ahead of Offseason

President of baseball operations David Stearns discussed the New York Mets' "enormous opportunity" heading into the offseason.

Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets shattered all expectations this year, coming two wins away from their first World Series appearance since 2015.

This past season was expected to be a transitional period for the Mets, but the team overcame an ugly start to capture a Wild Card berth before advancing all the way to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Now, the front office has some tough decisions to make with a number of pending free agents set to hit the open market, including Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea (opt-out), Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, Jesse Winker, Jose Iglesias and Ryne Stanek to name a few.

But it sounds like the Mets, who have a significant amount of money coming off the books this winter, will have no limitations ahead of the 2025 season.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke to reporters at his end of the season press conference at Citi Field on Wednesday and addressed what the team's offseason plan might look like.

"We've got financial flexibility, it means that pretty much the entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible to us," Stearns said. "That's an enormous opportunity. I envision us taking advantage of that opportunity and being aggressive in certain spaces."

"The entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible to us. That's an enormous opportunity. I envision us taking advantage of that opportunity and being aggressive in certain spaces."

- David Stearns on the offseason pic.twitter.com/kILVwb0rBR

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 23, 2024

However, Stearns added that the Mets aren't going to make moves that hurt the organization's long-term plan and prevents them from continuing to add to the roster.

Stearns made it clear that the Mets would love to have Alonso and Manaea back. The Mets could spend a large amount of money retaining some of the key players that helped them make their run in 2024.

Among the big fish possibilities on the high-end of the market for the Mets could be superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who is expected to draw a historic deal. The Mets would have to lure Soto away from the cross-town rival New York Yankees who are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Soto would cost a ton to bring in, but anything is possible given the Mets have the financial backing of billionaire owner Steve Cohen.