New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with Matt Levine of MiLB.com about the state of the Mets’ farm system and the impact the trade deadline had on it over the last month.

On the Trade Deadline Impact

Stearns spoke about how the trade deadline allowed the Mets to add talent not just at one level, but across the majority of the minor league levels. Stearns described these acquisitions as a “spark” for the organization. At the Double-A level specifically the players that the Mets acquired including Jefferson Rojas, Émilien Pitre, Gary Gill Hill, and Gabe Davis have started hot with their new team.

MLB Pipeline ranked Jefferson Rojas as the Mets top prospect and David Stearns said he is impressed by how, “under control of an offensive player he is.” He went on to describe Rojas as a, “difficult guy to pitch to,” and a very mature hitter. Rojas was a player the Mets have liked and had on their radar for a while.

Billy Amick was described have having real power and that even with swing-and-miss if he can get to that power on a consistent basis he will be an impactful major league player.

Pitre is on the other end of the spectrum with elite barrel accuracy, bat control, and the ability to spray the ball all over the field. Stearns stated Pitre impacts the game on all sides and is likely not far from contributing at the big leagues. He is in Triple-A right now and is only a train ride away should the Mets decide to call him up in September after rosters expand.

Gary Gill Hill has started well with the Mets going deep into games pitching 22 1/3 innings to a 3.63 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Stearns described him as having a strong blend of command and stuff while stating you do not often get a chance to access those guys. Stearns was asked if Hill and Sammy Stafura both being from New York was part of why the Mets acquired them but said that is just a happy coincidence.

Stearns stated there is no “magic formula” when acquiring prospects at the deadline and the team relies on their scouts, their analytics department, and their ability to acquire quality information on these players. The end goal was to acquire the best players available in each trade.

On the Trajectory of Mitch Voit and Carson Benge

Carson Benge and Mitch Voit were the first two first round picks David Stearns made with the Mets and both moved through the minors quickly in their first full year of professional ball. Carson Benge ended the season in Triple-A while Mitch Voit has been dominating in Double-A with just shy of four weeks left in the minor league season.

Stearns described both players as having both the capacity to work and the capacity to deal with failure. Voit had moments of struggle in Brooklyn and was able to come out the other side and take big steps forward.

On the Minor Leaguers Who Have Debuted

Benge, A.J. Ewing, Zac Thornton, Nick Morabito, Nate Lavender, and Jefry Yan have all made their major league debut this season with many of them having success. Ewing, Thornton, and Yan both began the season in Double-A and made it to the majors and Stearns noted how this is becoming more common for players to not spend significant time in Triple-A, with some organizations regularly promoting directly from Double-A.

Stearns described Thornton as being fearless with great command. He said not being afraid to go after hitters while utilizing his funky delivery has helped him succeed at the major league level.

On the Struggles of the Minor League Season

In 2025, many of the Mets’ minor league teams had great seasons winning many games. That has not been the case in 2026. Stearns touched on the necessity of balancing development and winning while still striving to compete every game at every level. He said it is important for everyone in the organization to recognize the whole goal of everything is to win and compete as hard as they can. He touched on how despite the slow start, the second half has been much more competitive for the farm and the Rumble Ponies are now making a playoff push.