When David Stearns had his press conference at the end of the season and conducted his public post mortem of the 2025 season, he indicated the New York Mets biggest issue was run prevention. Assuming he is correct, and he probably is, the question is how to improve the Mets run prevention.

We can and should talk about what players the Mets should acquire or better utilize. However, that is only part of the equation. A part of that is coaching.

After the 2025 season, the Los Angeles Angels announced they were parting ways with manager Ron Washington. If the Mets true goal is run prevention, they need to act quickly to hire him.

Washington is famous throughout baseball for how he improves players infield defense. As highlighted by Sam Blum of The Athletic, he runs his infielders through his Washington drills:

That is, in essence, the entire purpose of the drill. To work on mechanics for backhands, glove hands and up the middle. The drill forces you to take the most direct route to the ball, field it in the center of your glove and follow through properly to finish the play. Eventually the drill transitions to fungos, where footwork becomes paramount.

The famous story with Washington is his work with Scott Hatteberg. He took a catcher who could not longer throw, and he helped him become a capable defender at first base. This is no small feat.

The Mets need more help with their infield defense than most people realize.

Francisco Lindor had a drop-off defensively. He went from a 14 to a 3 OAA. We all saw he had a down year defensively, and the toe may have been a large part of it. IF the Mets want to get to the World Series in 2026, they will need Lindor playing at a Gold Glove level again.

For all the talk about Brett Baty’s defense at third, his OAA fluctuated through the year. His 2 OAA was positive, but he needs to develop more consistency and get to another level if he is going to be an everyday player.

There’s also the matter of Mark Vientos. Vientos, never an elite defender, went from a -6 OAA to a -7 in 324.1 fewer innings. Vientos was much worse than he had been in 2024.

Vientos is the interesting focal point. He is akin to Austin Riley, who was also known as a bat first third baseman likely destined to first base or DH. Working with Washington, Riley would be a Gold Glove finalist.

The Mets don’t quite know how they’re aligning their infield. We could see Vientos in the mix at first or third. Baty could be in the mix at second or third. Wherever either are, they will need Lindor to be at their best.

Possibly, there were will another first baseman or second baseman in the mix. At the moment, we don’t know how it will shake out. What we do know is player acquisition is only part of the equation.

The Mets need to get the best out of everyone on the roster. From a defensive standpoint, the Mets need to bring on Ron Washington. He is a perfect fit to accomplish their run prevention goals of 2026.