Hour 2: Stearns Accountability

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This is The Michael Kay Show podcast.

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**Michael Kay** (0:41)
Welcome back to the show. So we talked about the Nets, we talked about the Yankees. Now let's move on to the New York Mets. I've said this before, the biggest beneficiary of the brilliance of the New York Knicks has been the New York Mets organization and the president of baseball operations, David Stearns. David Stearns.
The utter ineptitude of the franchise has gotten cover by the Knicks run to the championship. Well, now the cover has been lifted. And there's things that just make you scratch your head about the decisions that Stearns has made.
For instance, yesterday, David Peterson started the game, got slapped around early. But that's not anything foreign for the Mets. So, the first three innings of games, the first three innings of any Mets game throughout the year, their ERA is 5.45. The only team that's worse, Colorado Rockies. And they play half their games a mile above sea level.
So the Mets, 5.45. They are putting an already suspect offense in a whole early, almost every single game. Now, you can't blame their bullpen, because from the fourth inning on, the team ERA is 3.40. Only the Braves are better.
Now, here are the numbers on the Mets starters. They're ERAs. Kodai Senga, starting tonight, if there's a game, 9 No, I know. David Peterson started yesterday, 7.71. Freddy Peralta, who we are seeing now, is a five inning pitcher, period. Period. Had a terrible game against the Phillies. Mets lost two out of three to the Phillies. Freddy Peralta is a 4.83 ERA. Nolan McClain, 3.67. Sean Manaya, who's been a huge disappointment, actually has good numbers at 3.18. The best met pitcher, starter, has been Clay Holmes, who's on the IELTS, so probably August, 2.39. Collectively, this is according to my friend, Max Goodman, who covers the Mets. Collectively, the Mets have the fourth worst starting pitcher in ERA in baseball at 4.74. So, here's what we want to talk about, David Stearns, right?
He let Jeremy Hefner go.
Why? He was asked about it the other day. I give Stearns credit. I think he meets with the media every week when the team is at home. That's even more than Cashman does. So, he's facing the music. I give him that. He's a really, really good guy and a good pitching coach, but you know, the decision. Well, that's not a good answer. Jeremy Hefner was a really good pitching coach, and he's proving that with the Atlanta Braves right now. So, why was he let go? Your pitching is much, much worse than it was last year. Number one. Number two, your base running was exemplary last year. Stolen base is much higher than anybody thought.
And you couldn't come to an agreement with Anton Richardson. So, when I hear you couldn't come to an agreement, it comes down to money. So, a very valuable coach, your first base coach and your base running coach, that turned Juan Soto, who has not flee to foot, into a base stealing threat. You let him go to the Braves for money, over money because you wanted to get them back and the Braves outbid you. Well, now the Mets are one of the worst base running teams. They don't steal bases and it's been an embarrassment.
Why? Why did you let Anton Richardson go over money? That's the one thing that you have an advantage on. I don't think the extra 50 grand, $100,000 would have made a big deal to Steve Cohen. You let this guy go who turned Juan Soto into a base running demon. Now, yesterday, the Mets are down five to one. Soto hits a ball to right center field. It's right in front of him as he's rounding first base, and they're down by four runs, and he goes to stretch it into a double. Why? He got thrown out by 10 feet. Their base running has been terrible this year. All right, so you got rid of Heffner, not a good job. You got rid of Richardson, it's proven to be not a good job. One other angle. You know the free agent the Mets really wanted to get? Do you know who they really wanted to sign? Oh, yeah, it was Kyle Tucker. They really wanted to sign Kyle Tucker. And they offered him a contract close to what the Dodgers gave him. And then the Dodgers swooped in and gave him $60 million a year for four years. And you know what Kyle Tucker's been? An absolute albatross on the Dodgers. They just moved him to seventh in the lineup. He has six home runs. This is the guy who makes $60 million a year. And that was the apple of David Stearns' eye. The only reason that the Mets are not suffering with Kyle Tucker is because the Dodgers were stupid enough to give him that money.