I think the failure in the second half of 2025 can be written off as bad luck. If Ryan Helsley hadn't failed so miserably, the Mets would have made the playoffs.
But what happened this past offseason looked like a disaster from the beginning. It finally looked a bit better when the Mets got Bichette and Peralta, but we've seen that it wasn't enough. Getting Polanco and Robert didn't impress anyone, and the starting rotation was always looking like a lot of maybes. They need to rethink their rule about avoiding longer-term contracts. If they limit to three years, they won't get the best players and even when they do get a prime player, like Bichette, he'll be likely to be a short-termer. Stearns needs to put more value on stability. It's not a great idea to have to rebuild the roster every year as much as he has.