This Week in Mets Quotes: David Stearns on the Mets trade deadline, Gregory Soto wants to be Queens

Lots of interesting, funny, idiotic, and insightful things were said by the Mets—and about them—recently. Here are some of our favorites.

Your 2025 New York Mets: We’re a good team.

“We’re a good team.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]

I’ve thought the vibe on David Stearns is that he gives pretty canned quotes with business idioms which purposely doesn’t reveal much. But his post-trade deadline quotes are pretty straightforwardly accurate assessments:

Stearns on the Story of the 2025 Deadline.

“The story of this deadline for us is really an amateur talent acquisition and player development story. Our amateur talent acquisition departments and our player development group put us in position to have this type of deadline to go out, acquire players we think will really help us at the major-league level and not touch some really high-upside players at the top of our system.” -David Stearns [New York Times]

Stearns on if the moves by the Phillies and Padres influenced their decision making.

“It really can’t influence what we’re doing. We’re focused on following our plan and our strategy. If we get too influenced one way or the other about what one of our competitors are doing or not doing, I don’t think that’s going to lead to the most productive behavior on our end. We focus on ourselves, executing our strategy and making sure we’re making every decision with the best information possible. If we do that, we’ll probably end up in a good spot.” -David Stearns [New York Times]

Stearns on if the moves represent the Mets seeing a window to winning it all this year.

“I don’t view this as windows. Our responsibility here is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series every single year. That’s what this should be, that’s what we’re aiming to make it.” -David Stearns [New York Times]

Stearns on why the Mets didn’t trade for a starter.

“There are multiple ways to build a pitching staff. We focused on the back end of the pitching staff, the bullpen. We’re really happy with the arms we were able to acquire who are going to pitch out of our pen. And we have confidence, not only in the starters who are here, who we think are going to keep us competitive and help us win games, we are also pleased with the development of how some of the guys in Triple A are progressing.” -David Stearns [New York Times]

Stearns on Clay Holmes not being able to go deeper into starts (alright this quote is purposely opaque).

“Clay, from a physical standpoint, is in really good shape, and I think the stuff, for the most part, has still been there. We gotta get a little deeper into games. Clearly, Clay knows that. He’s working hard to do that, and I think we’ll be able to see it.” -David Stearns [New York Times]

Carlos Mendoza on Soto’s desire to be more active on the bathpaths this year…

“Yeah, I think from day one, since [Soto] reported to spring training, we know he’s a great hitter, elite hitter, one of the best of the best, right? But he wanted to be a complete player, and having that conversation with him, not only just defensively and how much he wanted to improve and things like that, but becoming a base stealer, a better baserunner, just a complete player. -Carlos Mendoza [Baseball Prospectus]

…and I really love that Antoan Richardson has become akin to the ‘Pitching Lab’ where he just seems to make everyone he works with better base runners.

“So I’ve got to give him credit. Got to give our coaches, Antoan Richardson from the base running and defensive side, a lot of credit. But I think starts with the player. I mean, he wants to be great, and he’s got a chance to be one of the greatest players of all time. And he knows and understand that he’s not just the offense and the hitting. There’s a lot of and we saw it yesterday, stole a base, threw a guy out of the plate, and he continued to work on those little details there.” -Carlos Mendoza [Baseball Prospectus]

Yeah I’d say putting a ball in McCovery Cove is /Larry David voice/ pretty, pretty, pretty good.

“It felt really, really good, because I saw a couple of home runs from Barry Bonds hit to the ocean. So that’s pretty good.” -Ronny Mauricio [MLB]

Senga is given himself grace that he appears rusting coming back from the IL; just kidding, he’s being his normal self about it.

“Given this is my third game back from [the IL], it is about time that I get in a groove.” -Kodai Senga [MLB]

Mark Vientos says the right things about being in trade rumors.

“I see it as it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that I’m being talked about. You can see it as like, ‘Damn, it’s bad.’ But I see it as, ‘Man, I’m that important in the league that I’m being talked about in trade rumors.’ Obviously, it sucks because I don’t want to get traded. But this is a business, at the end of the day. I feel like it is what it is. What can I do?” -Mark Vientos [MLB]

Mark Vientos says the wrong things about being a part-time player.

“[In New York, however, such potential hasn’t bought Vientos regular playing time. He called the act of improving as a part-time player “extremely difficult.” Asked if he’s expressed such concerns to Mets management, Vientos replied]: “No, because there’s really no point. Nobody cares. Nobody really cares, to be honest, how I feel. But it’s the business.” -Mark Vientos [MLB]

For the record, Carlos Mendoza cared how Vientos felt.

“Not happy [was how Mendoza described Vientos’ attitude toward his part-time role.] But also understanding that he’s got an opportunity that when he’s in the lineup, he can help us win baseball games.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]

Only quote I’m going to share regarding the Padres sweep of the Mets.

“I think it’s going to be good. We just got to get the swelling down.” -Juan Soto [New York Post]

The Mets Bullpen reacts to the Mets trade deadline moves.

“I might be pitching the fourth inning.” -Ryan Stanek [MLB]

“I might be the opener.” -Brooks Raley [MLB]

Man being paid millions of dollars to be in the bullpen.

“Bullpens win championships. That’s what matters.” -Ryan Stanek [MLB]

The Mets new bullpen arms react to being traded to the Mets.

“You want to play in October because you never know if it is going to be your last time or your only time. We take it for granted sometimes, and I think when you have that chance and another team wants you to add you to their team, that’s a big deal.” -Ryan Helsley [MLB]

“I [wanted to] show them what I was capable of doing. Just so they could see what I was able to do so they could trade for me.” -Gregory Soto [New York Post]

Love the Mets? Love the Mets.

“The way [the Mets] play the game, the culture that they have here, a lot of Latinos here, as well. This is a team that wants to win, and I want to win a championship, so that is why I want to be here.” -Gregory Soto [New York Post]

Hat tip to Anthony DiComo; in the dog days of summer, to break up the monotony of game recaps, sometimes you got to focus the entire recap on one decent play and make sure you have 5 separate quotes about it.

“Pete, he made some really good picks over there tonight that really saved us.” -Clay Holmes [MLB]

“Not an easy one. That’s an in-between hop there. If that ball gets away, that’s a completely different inning.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]

“I didn’t think I had it. I looked up, I was like, ‘Huh?’ I was confused that we challenged it. I didn’t even think we had a shot.” -Pete Alonso [MLB]

“You’ve got to give credit to Pete.” -Carlos Mendoza [MLB]

“I’m just stoked that I was able to contribute, and … prevent some runs coming across. Clay was pouring his heart out, out there. I was just trying to make some plays.” -Pete Alonso [MLB]

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