The Mets are fortunate to have a core group of young players who should be with the team for a long time. The headliner of that group is Carson Benge, who had one of the best rookie seasons in Mets history.
Ahead of the 2027 offseason, there's a laundry list of areas for David Stearns to address. All decisions should be made in the best interest of the future of the organization, and that means building around the player who personifies the Mets' future, Benge.
First order of business, contract extension
The Mets can learn from their division rival, the Atlanta Braves, by giving Benge an extension now at a discount, before his value rises. The Braves did this a few times, most famously with Ronald Acuna Jr who signed an 8-year, $100 million deal in 2019, and Ozzie Albies with a 7-year, $35 million deal in the same year.
There are inherent risks with doing this; after all, it's only been one season, and there's no telling what his future could look like with injuries and all of the hurdles baseball has to offer, but having foresight and taking a chance on a young player often works out well.
Benge hit adversity through his first few weeks in the big leagues and overcame a major slump, which should bode well for his big-league future.
Assuming he is the player Met fans hope him to be, his value will only rise in the years to come, especially considering arbitration. While it's true that the next CBA will look different, there's no guarantee of a salary cap, and Stearns can only operate under the rules that exist currently.
There's really only one question that should be asked when considering an extension for a young player like Benge. Is he a player to believe in, and will the team save money by locking him up now?
The answer is yes to both.
Speed kills
As for how the Mets should actually be built around Benge next season and the years to come, there's a clear need for stolen bases, a need that Benge and his outfielder counterpart, A.J. Ewing, have met in spades.
Still, they ranked just 23rd in the league in steals in 2026, with 83 total, meaning Benge and Ewing combined for over half of the team's stolen bases. The good news is there are some internal options to help fix this.
There's no need to look too deep into the minor leagues to find a fit, as number one prospect Jefferson Rojas would be a welcome addition to the Met lineup in a number of ways, his speed being one of them. His 21 stolen bases would have ranked third at the big league level in 2026, one behind Benge.
There's also Nick Morabito, who received a brief look in the majors this past season. While his hitting needs some work, his 42 stolen bases at Triple-A show some serious promise for what his contributions could one day look like, especially considering he would fill out the outfield in left field and allow Juan Soto to DH.
The bottom line
The Mets outfield is set, and arguably one of the best in baseball, and that has everything to do with Benge. He's Stearns' best contribution to the team thus far as the president of baseball operations, and could be the longest-lasting.
If you take a look back in Mets history to 2004, when David Wright made his debut, the Mets were not a very good team. They proceeded to build around their young stars, Wright chief among them, and it paid off with one of the best seasons in Mets history in 2006.
Good teams make their young stars a priority and build around them. That's exactly what needs to be done for Benge.
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