The calendar has officially flipped to 2026, which in Mets terms means two things. First, we are now legally allowed to worry about a season that has not started yet. Second, the excuses have expired. This is the point on the baseball calendar where optimism either matures into strategy or sits on the couch in sweatpants, scrolling through old box scores and whispering, “Trust the plan. There is definitely a plan.” I have maintained all along, often loudly, that David Stearns
