David Stearns talks Mets’ struggles, possible trade deadline strategy: ‘We haven’t played like a playoff team’

As the Mets have stumbled through the first two months of the season, with their struggles coming to a head in May and leaving them eight games under .500 entering play on Tuesday, president of baseball operations David Stearns is clear-eyed what the team is at this point.

At the same time, he’s not ready to give up on it.

“We haven’t played like a playoff team,” Stearns said on Tuesday at Citi Field during his regular once-per-homestand availability with reporters. “And I think that’s just the reality of how we’ve played here through the first 50 games.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t, but we’ve got to show it. I think we have a group of players that is very committed to that goal that is determined to play better. But until we show it, it’s a reasonable question.”

Stearns said last week while speaking with the SNY booth that the front office was in “information-gathering mode” after saying during a recent road trip in Philadelphia that he still believed the Mets were a playoff team.

If they prove not to be up to the task of getting themselves back in the thick of things, a second-straight trade deadline sell-off feels likely.

And if the Mets are sellers again, there’s a chance they could get a very good return for some of their players who aren’t under team control beyond this season — including Luis Severino, J.D. Martinez, Sean Manaea, and perhaps Pete Alonso.

But while some teams, such as the Miami Marlins, have already waved the white flag on the season, the Mets are not there.

“I think the baseball calendar provides the roadmap for that,” Stearns said about deciding what course to take. “Generally the trade deadline becomes an inflection point in the season, and we’ve got plenty of time before that.”

Stearns added: “Throughout the month of July, you are preparing for the deadline and having conversations. I think every single year takes on a little bit of a different pace. Every single year takes on a little bit of a different character for a deadline, but throughout the month of July you’re preparing.

“You also don’t need to make decisions until the end of the month, so we’ll continue to evaluate where we are.”

As far as whether the Mets had already engaged in trade talks, Stearns suggested they hadn’t, noting that he doesn’t have the sense that those kinds of discussions were “accelerating” this year.

Regarding Alonso specifically, Stearns said nothing had changed.

“Nothing’s changed with Pete’s situation,” he noted. “Our goal on a daily basis is to help Pete succeed as much as he possibly can so we can win as many games as possible. That’s where I expect we’ll continue to be.”

Throughout his availability on Tuesday, Stearns came back a number of times to the need for the Mets to play a more consistent brand of baseball, pointing out something simple that most fans would probably nod their heads in agreement at.

Basically, when the Mets hit well, they don’t pitch well. And when the pitching comes through, the hitting tends to disappear.

Despite the above, and despite the first two months resulting in a 22-30 record, Stearns still believes in the group he’s assembled — for now.

Why?

“Based on the talent we have in our clubhouse, and the belief that that group has in itself,” Stearns said. “But I also said in Philly that it doesn’t matter what I think. We also have to go out and do it.”