David Stearns Provides Mets Spring Training Update on Lindor, Benge, and Roster Battles

As the calendar creeps closer to March 26 and the start of another baseball season, the annual ritual begins. Not the first pitch ritual. Not the hot dog ritual. Not even the ritual of fans convincing themselves this is finally the year they won’t overreact to every April loss.

No, the real ritual is the spring press conference where everyone tries to read tea leaves while the general manager calmly reminds us that baseball seasons are marathons, not sprints, even though the entire fan base is currently sprinting in circles.

That was essentially the mood when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke to reporters as spring training begins its slow glide toward Opening Day.

If you were hoping for panic, you came to the wrong press conference.

If you were hoping for cautious optimism, well, you came to the right place.

One of the early topics centered around how Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco are adjusting to new defensive responsibilities this spring. Stearns didn’t pretend everything is perfect, because spring training is never perfect. It’s a little like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions. Eventually the pieces fit, but sometimes you wind up holding an extra screw wondering if that was important.

Still, Stearns sounded pleased with what he’s seeing.

“I think this is going pretty much as expected,” he said. “They’ve both worked extremely hard at those positions. There are nuances that they’re learning, they’re going to continue to learn, and it’s not going to be perfect, but I’m certainly pleased with the actions they’re showing, what we’re seeing in their daily work, and I think we’re progressing well.”

Another big storyline this spring is the health of shortstop Francisco Lindor whose availability for Opening Day has been one of the lingering questions of camp.

Stearns remains upbeat.

“Yes, all indications we have is this is going as planned,” he said. “We have a similar level of optimism that he’ll be ready for opening day.”

But before anyone imagines Lindor jogging straight from the trainer’s room to the batter’s box on March 26, Stearns made it clear that won’t happen.

“We wouldn’t have his first competition be opening day,” he explained. “We would ensure there are at bats.”

In other words, expect to see him in Grapefruit League action before the curtain rises for real.

Speaking of Grapefruit League intrigue, one of the most interesting storylines in camp has been the performance of young outfielder Carson Benge.

Stearns made it clear no final decision has been made about whether Benge breaks camp with the club, but he certainly hasn’t hurt his chances.

“I think Carson is having a nice camp,” Stearns said. “He’s worked really hard. In the games we’ve seen what we would have expected. He’s taken very competitive at bats. He’s a tough out. I think he’s played a nice right field.”

Which is general manager language for: this kid is making it difficult to send him to the minors.

The front office still has a few puzzles to solve before the final roster is carved into stone tablets.

“I think we have the right field question that we’re going to have to answer,” Stearns acknowledged. “There’s probably a bench question we’re going to have to answer, and then one or two bullpen spots.”

But overall, the tone of camp has impressed him.

“For the most part this is about getting our team and individual players ready for the season,” he said. “I think our coaching staff has done a really nice job of making sure this is a well-run, efficient camp.”

One interesting philosophical moment came when Stearns was asked about the pressure of debuting on Opening Day, particularly for young players.

He admitted that while teams try to treat it like just another game, nobody really believes that.

“Opening day is always different,” he said. “As much as we try to impart on players that opening day is just one day, we also recognize that there’s a significance to that and players place a significance on that.”

Which is baseball’s version of saying: sure, it’s just another game, except for the packed stadium, the bunting, the flyovers, the introductions, and the fact that every fan believes the season will either be won or lost before the seventh inning.

Stearns also addressed the growing modern reality that starting pitchers rarely approach the once-standard 180-inning mark anymore. The answer, unsurprisingly, is depth.

“We know we need depth and we are very cognizant of that,” he said. “I think the best way to build depth is to have a farm system that continuously replenishes your pitching with young pitchers who have the ability to contribute at the major league level.”

That philosophy is particularly important after a 2025 season in which some pitchers simply ran out of gas down the stretch.

“Last year we had the combination of injuries mid-year and then fatigue set in for certain guys at the end,” Stearns said. “Some of it is experience. Once you’ve gone through that fatigue it may help you both physically and mentally battle it in the future.”

He also hinted that the sport is still figuring out how to better prepare pitchers months before spring training even begins.

“We’re constantly learning about how to train year-round and whether there are things we can do in November, December, January that end up helping us in September and October,” he said.

In other words, the offseason is no longer an offseason. It’s more like a slightly less intense season.

If there was one theme Stearns kept returning to, it was the tone inside the clubhouse.

“I think guys are getting after it and that’s been good to see,” he said. “We have a very focused group in there. The work has been really quality on the field.”

And that focus is somewhat unusual for a veteran roster.

“A lot of times you come to spring training with a veteran team and everyone’s really just got opening day circled and is counting down the days,” he said. “I think what we felt here is guys are taking every single day seriously.”

Which, for Mets fans, is about as encouraging a sentence as you’ll hear in early March.

The kids have impressed as well.

Stearns noted that several young players have blended seamlessly into the big-league clubhouse, something he views as a positive sign for the organization’s future.

“Our younger players have fit in our major league camp not only in terms of competitiveness on the field but how they’ve adjusted within our major league clubhouse,” he said. “It’s been really encouraging to see.”

Defensively, the Mets also believe they’re taking a step forward, particularly in the outfield.

“We expect to be a good defensive club across the diamond,” Stearns said. “And I certainly think in the outfield we have a chance to be much improved from last year.”

Which is good news, because Mets fans have watched enough balls land in mysterious gaps over the years to qualify for their own meteorological classification.

Spring training, of course, is baseball’s annual mirage. Every team looks good. Every player is in the best shape of his life. Every general manager sounds calm, optimistic, and vaguely philosophical.

But if you listened closely to Stearns, there was a clear message beneath the careful answers.

The Mets believe they’re building something sustainable. They believe the roster is deeper. They believe the clubhouse is focused.

And with Opening Day now only weeks away, that belief is about to face its first real test.

Because soon the press conferences end.

And the box scores begin.

And that’s where you come in. Mets baseball has always been about conversation as much as competition, the debates at the kitchen table, the arguments in the car after a tough loss, and the optimism that somehow returns every spring. So as the countdown to Opening Day continues, we’d love to hear what you think. Are you buying the optimism coming out of camp? Which roster battles have your attention? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and keep the discussion going. And if you want to talk Mets baseball with fellow fans every day, be sure to join our ever-growing KinersKorner Facebook group, where the conversation continues long after the final out.