Whether you like the plan or not, David Stearns has stuck to his word on what strategy he was following this offseason.

Namely, that unless it was to sign 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Mets would not be tying up long-term future payroll.

Instead, they would try to assemble a 2024 contender by improving the depth and defense around returning stars Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Kodai Senga, while counting on the return to health of Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte and a step forward from Francisco Alvarez.

I believe Stearns is attempting to construct a roster that he could approach in multiple ways: 1) If the Mets are contenders, he could augment before the July 30 trade deadline using a more attractive depth of prospects than the Mets have had in recent years. 2) If they are not contenders, he could further build on that farm base by being sellers in July with an eye on going for it in 2025 when most (and potentially all) of the voluminous dead money is off their books while 3) leaving space for young players to prove or disprove they belong as the season transpires because — again — the goal is to have a clearer picture, in terms of talent and finances, of where the team is at the end of this season.