David Stearns knows the team has drawn significant attention because of its recent market activity, especially the moves tied to Bo Bichette. But he recently made it clear that adding new players and completing trades does not automatically make the New York Mets the best team in the NL East.
“Until we win a division, we can’t claim we’re at the top. We’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to keep working,” Stearns said recently. He added that the Mets will continue looking to add more players, but his message was also aimed at tempering inflated expectations.
With Bichette’s arrival, the Mets are adding a proven bat and an infielder who could adapt to two or more positions depending on where manager Carlos Mendoza needs him next season. At the very least, that kind of flexibility gives the club a small edge with a new addition to the roster.
When was the last time the Mets won the NL East?
The Mets have not won an NL East division title since 2015. That reality explains Stearns’ urgency to see his team win the division and avoid having to go through the Wild Card round. That 2015 club finished the MLB regular season with a 90–72 record.
At the time, the Mets were a very different organization. Sandy Alderson was the team’s general manager, and that NL East title ended a nearly 10-year drought without a division championship, the previous one coming in 2006.
More than a decade has now passed since the Mets last won the NL East. While they field a stronger roster today, they failed to reach the postseason in 2025. Still, the situation is far from dire, and Stearns knows it, which is why he remains open to continuing to add talent to the roster.