David Stearns hasnât delivered the kind of franchise-altering âearthquake tradeâ that changes the New York Mets overnight.
Not yet. But that doesnât mean he hasnât left fingerprints all over the roster â and all over the decisions that shaped it.
Seattle Mariners v Texas Rangers | Richard Rodriguez/GettyImages
The Freddy Peralta trade has the potential to become the defining move of his tenure, either as a masterstroke or a disaster depending on how 2026 unfolds.
But the quieter trades? The ones fans barely remember? Those are the ones that can age strangely.
Sometimes they disappear into the background.
And sometimes, one year later, they start whispering something uncomfortable.
Because one Mets prospect traded away in 2024 is suddenly starting to feel like the exact kind of player Stearns would want⊠now.
That player is Rhylan Thomas.
The Stanek trade looked harmless â until it didnât
In 2024, the Mets traded Thomas to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Ryne Stanek. At the time, it felt like a standard deadline transaction: a bullpen rental for a mid-level prospect who didnât have a clear future in Queens.
Thomas wasnât a top name. He wasnât a âdonât-touch-himâ type. He was the kind of player you move when you need immediate help and donât want to lose something you actually believe in.
And yet⊠the more Stearnsâ preferences become clear, the more this trade starts to feel slightly misaligned.
Because if thereâs one thing Stearns has consistently valued â both historically and in the way the Mets are being reshaped â itâs players who make contact, get on base, and create pressure without needing power.
Thomas might not be flashy.
But he fits that template almost too perfectly.
Rhylan Thomas is quietly becoming a âproblemâ for the Mets narrative
Thomas got a tiny taste of the majors with Seattle â just three games, going 1-for-8. Not enough to draw conclusions. Not enough to prove anything.
But in Triple-A Tacoma?
He did exactly what contact-first, speed-based players are supposed to do.
He posted a .325/.380/.411 slash line â a profile built on consistency rather than explosions. He walked 46 times and struck out only 32 times, which is the kind of ratio that almost looks fake in modern baseball.
And then thereâs the part that makes it sting a little more:
His speed took off.
Thomas stole 35 bases, blowing past his previous career high of 21 and turning himself into something more than just a bat-to-ball outfielder. He became a constant problem on the bases â the kind of player who doesnât need a home run to change the game.
The frustrating part? This is the exact type of player that tends to stick in the league forever.
Not as a star. Not as a face of the franchise.
But as the kind of reliable, annoying, high-contact fourth outfielder who shows up in October and makes pitchers regret everything.
The limitation is obvious â and thatâs what makes it so âStearnsâ
Thomas isnât a perfect prospect. He doesnât have loud power. Heâs not going to hit 30 home runs and force his way into the lineup by sheer production.
Thatâs why he was movable.
But if he becomes nothing more than a strong defender who can run, get on base, and put the ball in play, heâll have a long career â because teams always need a player like that.
And in todayâs game, where strikeouts swallow lineups whole, a hitter who refuses to swing through air becomes strangely valuable.
Even if itâs not sexy.
Even if itâs not trending.
The Metsâ real regret might be what they keep doing
What makes this story feel sharper is that the Mets have developed a pattern: trading away center fielders who later become useful major leaguers.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the obvious name â the one that still lingers like a bruise. Jake Mangumâs strong rookie season is another reminder that not every player needs to be a superstar to matter.
Thomas isnât at that level yet. He hasnât proven it in MLB.
But heâs also never had real opportunity.
And thatâs the part that makes the Mets look like they mightâve misjudged the kind of player he could become.
The Morabito comparison makes it even more uncomfortable
The articleâs most revealing detail isnât even about Thomas.
Itâs about who the Mets didnât trade instead.
At the time, the Mets may have chosen to move Thomas rather than Nick Morabito, a similar player who remains in the organization and is currently on the 40-man roster.
Morabito has speed, defense, and a comparable style â but his strikeouts climbed as he moved up. He fanned 115 times in Double-A last year.
Thomas, meanwhile, is striking out 32 times while walking 46.
That contrast is loud.
And it creates the kind of quiet âwhat ifâ that front offices hate, because it isnât about one game or one moment.
Itâs about philosophy.
The Mets didnât lose a star â but they mightâve lost a fit
This isnât a story about Stearns making a catastrophic mistake. Itâs not even a story about Stanek being a bad trade.
Itâs a story about timing.
Because Thomas didnât look like a priority in 2024.
But in 2026, with the Mets leaning harder into contact, speed, and versatility â he suddenly looks like a player the organization wouldâve preferred to keep.
And thatâs what makes it sting.
Not that heâs a future All-Star.
But that heâs the kind of player David Stearns mightâve wantedâŠ
after all.
Leave a Reply