Stearns says Mets are not seeking a new second baseman, betting on a Semien rebound

The Mets’ decision at second base is centered on one question: are they planning to add a new starter this winter? President of baseball operations David Stearns says, “It’s not a specific position we are looking to add to right now,” framing 2027 as a year to tighten the production from within rather than rebuild the position.

The case for change is not lost on the organization. According to Stearns’ assessment, Mets second basemen totaled a.629 OPS in the past season, which ranked 26th in MLB and sat only ahead of the Orioles, Angels, Reds and Nationals.

Stearns’ optimism focuses on Marcus Semien, whom he expects to be more productive at age 36 than he was at age 35. The article notes that last year Semien ranked 134th out of 135 qualified hitters in OPS (.620), and that his drop came as a steepening of a longer decline. Since the start of 2025, among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances, Semien ranks 117th in OPS (.644).

Defensively, the Mets’ internal picture is more complicated. The piece says Semien regressed from a Gold Glove-caliber second baseman in 2024 to well-below-average performance in the following years, and that his decline continued again from ’25 to ’26. Stearns still left the door open on performance changes, describing Semien as “an extremely motivated player” and emphasizing the expectation that he will produce more from the work he puts in.

Stearns also points to roster flexibility rather than a single-player solution. The team believes Brett Baty can serve as a left-handed complement at second base, and it references that Baty appeared at second base in 25 games in 2026 while performing capably on defense. With Bo Bichette returning at third, the article lays out a possibility of a second-base platoon involving Baty and Semien.

Beyond Semien and Baty, the Mets are banking on internal development to improve the position. The article describes Jefferson Rojas as the farm’s crown jewel at second base after the Trade Deadline selloff, and it says his season-ending power surge carried into Dominican Winter League action, leaving him a candidate to compete for a big-league job next spring. It also lists No. 4 prospect Mitch Voit and No. 10 prospect Émilien Pitre as additional names who could factor into the first half of 2027, even if their current experience levels differ.