Sports

David Stearns and Steve Cohen may have a new favorite NY Mets player

Rising Apple · Jul 22, 2026 10:00 · 3 min read

David Stearns and Steve Cohen may have a new favorite NY Mets player — Dec 12, 2024; Flushing, NY, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen (left to right) and general manager David Stearns and new right fielder Juan Soto and Soto's agent Scott Boras during a press conference at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

David Stearns and Steve Cohen may have a new favorite New York Mets player.

David Stearns grew up a New York Mets fan and so did Steve Cohen; unless you talk to certain people on Reddit who claim otherwise. In any case, whether they cheered on the Mets or someone else, they are fans right now.

Whose jersey would they wear if all of their fleece pullovers were unavailable? They might have to fight over a number 49.

Zac Thornton, in his first game without the “h”, continued to make his case as a rotation option for next year. In the moment, Cohen sees dollar signs staying in his pocket and Stearns can’t help but feel some sense of vindication. 6 innings of 3-hit ball with only one walk against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, the rookie nobody had plans for in the majors when the year began now has a 1.93 ERA after four starts.

Zac Thornton’s rise is making him a fan favorite for the two biggest decision makers the Mets have

Cohen isn’t trying to save money, but he is focused a little more on not being as reckless as some GMs and/or POBOs have convinced him to be. An unwillingness to pay down salaries of players they move will make Stearns’ job difficult at the trade deadline and maybe early in the offseason. The good news is with players like Thornton performing this well, it can save them from one search.

The Mets have two promising young players already on the roster and locked into rotation spots for next year, Christian Scott and Nolan McLean. Add in Thornton making the league minimum and the Mets rotation budget stays low without sacrificing talent. Sean Manaea’s contract becomes more palatable although the Mets shouldn’t be married to keeping him around.

Assuming Kodai Senga is dumped in some capacity, because he can’t possibly stay in this strange limbo that he’s in at the moment, the Mets will need one more starter for next year. No prospect has made a strong enough case with Jack Wenninger as one of the nearest who has a case. He, Jonah Tong, and Jonathan Santucci could be depth. For sure, based on Stearns’ Mets track record and to keep themselves competitive, a more experienced veteran will be on the wish list.

Needing one starting pitcher vs. two in the offseason saves the Mets a lot of grief. The Thornton rise doesn’t make them any closer to signing Tarik Skubal although it becomes more justified to have a $40+ million AAV starting pitcher on what could be a record-breaking contract. Signing Skubal goes against Stearns’ starting pitching philosophy in free agency and while one argument could say Thornton on the roster makes Skubal a reasonable fit, Stearns can simply stick with what he usually does and allocate funds toward short-term options.

Whatever it is they do or believe in, Cohen and Stearns should be thrilled with what Thornton is doing. Joining McLean and A.J. Ewing as an impressive Mets rookie from the 2023 draft, one has to imagine Billy Eppler is moving that draft class up his resume while hoping no one notices the suspension for a phantom IL.