David Stearns spoke on the dais for half an hour before he answered questions in breakout groups. He chatted with TV reporters for a while before stopping in with print/digital media, with whom he talked for about another 18 minutes.

There were fun anecdotes about his growing up in Manhattan and sneaking into games at Shea Stadium. There were hints dropped about his very-early plans for Pete Alonso, making it sound as if he’s on the trade block. He described his ideal manager and a perhaps lengthy search to find Buck Showalter’s successor.

What he did not suggest, in any way, was that he was arriving as a savior. There were no proclamations that the bad times in Queens were over or that a World Series was soon on the way.

A significant takeaway from Stearns’ introduction as the new Mets president of baseball operations was his acknowledgement that he is not a wizard who will wave a wand and fix everything. He hopes he is bringing experience and wisdom but not an elixir for all that ails the club.