The New York Mets have a lot of issues to address this winter if they hope to see David Stearns' Brewers' blueprint lead to an era of sustained success. Stearns outlined first base and the starting rotation as two big areas of need in his end-of-season press conference, but he did not seem too eager to add to his options at second base.

There is no question that second base was a major issue for the Mets in 2026 as Marcus Semien took a huge step back after being acquired from the Texas Rangers for Brandon Nimmo. Semien hit just .215 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI in 139 games, while his Gold Glove-caliber defense declined dramatically, leading him to produce just 0.5 Wins Above Replacement for a salary of $26 million.

While Stearns may come out ahead in the long run, as Semien's deal is two years shorter than Nimmo's, they still have to deal with the fact that they may be flushing upwards of $52 million down the drain if Semien can't rebound in 2027. Even though there are some highly intriguing free agents at the keystone, the Mets would be smarter not to dabble in that over the winter.

It makes no sense for Mets to add a second baseman in free agency

Even if Semien can't rebound at second, the Mets have a decent alternative in-house already: Brett Baty. Stearns raved about him in his final presser of the 2026 season.

Baty is a solid defender at second base and has some pop, hitting .236 with 11 homers and 56 RBI in 2026. His strong finish to the season offers hope that a performance closer to his 2025 breakout is in the cards.

Most of the available second basemen in free agency have good track records but come with significant flaws. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is the top player on the board there, had a down year with the New York Yankees and ended up drawing the ire of Aaron Boone for his seeming lack of focus in the field, which is not something the Mets should pursue in spite of his immense talent.

Luis Arraez offers a contact profile that fits the Stearns playbook but is already a limited defender at second, turning 30 years old, which could lead to problems if he stops hitting or has to move off the position. Brandon Lowe, who hit 35 home runs a year ago, may receive a qualifying offer from the Pirates and has a checkered injury history at age 32, which Stearns should shy away from after the Jorge Polanco risk backfired on them last season.

Injuries are also a significant risk for Gleyber Torres, who played 96 games for the Tigers in 2026 and is now on the wrong side of 30.

The Athletics will likely decline Jeff McNeil's team option for 2027. At the same time, if the Mets wanted McNeil, they could have retained him instead of essentially executing a salary-dump trade last winter.

The other big reason why a big free agent commitment at second doesn't make sense is that it would block a lot of the team's intriguing middle infield prospects' path to the majors. Emilien Pitre and Jefferson Rojas both finished the season at AAA Syracuse, with an early-season debut possible, while Mitch Voit isn't far behind them at AA Binghamton.

All three of the aforementioned players rank among the Mets' top 10 prospects, with Pitre having at least a McNeil-level utility role as a floor, while Rojas and Voit can be long-term starters if they pan out. A situation like that calls for a stopgap veteran until young players are ready, and the Mets have that with Semien.

Signing another second baseman from a weak free agent class would be a misuse of financial resources and likely add another underwater contract to the Mets' ledger at a time of uncertainty regarding the sport's future economic structure. Stearns has done a good job limiting most of his free agent outlays to the short term, with most contracts coming off the books by the end of the 2028 season, and there isn't a player at second worth a short-term overpay like Bo Bichette got last year.

The smarter play for Stearns is to let second base sort itself out over the offseason while improving first base and the rotation, which doesn't have many clear-cut internal answers. Even if someone like Chisholm or Lowe has big potential to be an immediate contributor, it would behoove the Mets to let someone else take that risk for the kind of money those players will command on the open market.