The holidays are a mega-busy time, of course, and you don’t have to be Kris Kringle himself to have lots to do.

Take David Stearns, for example.

The Mets’ baseball boss is reshaping the roster this winter, having already waved goodbye to blue-and-orange stalwarts from Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo to Edwin Díaz and Jeff McNeil.

He’s added Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, among others -- but there’s more to do.

So, David, bundle up and head out to the stores -- no, wait, that’s us last-minute holiday shoppers. Stearns does need to make some moves, though, even if it’s without the frenzy of Fifth Avenue or a bedecked mall.

That’s where we come in, as helpful elves. We offer a wish list for the Mets to complete over the rest of the baseball hot stove season. Check it twice, if you like.

An ace

The Mets have a lot of rotation inventory right now, don’t they?

Nolan McLean seems assured of a spot, since he was one of the best pitchers in baseball over his eight starts last season. Clay Holmes was really good in his first season in the rotation, finishing ninth in the NL in ERA, and is a lock, too. David Peterson had a wobble or two, but also was terrific for a long stretch. Can Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea rebound? We’ll see. And then there’s Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, two very promising prospects.

But there’s no top-of-the-rotation monster.

Yes, we know McLean could become that. But pitching is such a precious commodity and generally needed in such bulk during the slog that is 162 games that it makes sense for the Mets to pursue a No. 1. That could come in free agency or trade.

They’ll be involved if Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta become available. Should they explore Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez, both free agents? Maybe their appetite is only whetted if either will sign a short-term deal.

Whatever happens (or doesn’t), it sure feels like the Mets need an ace as a holiday home run. The same way a certain generation of kids needed the original Xbox, right?

A CF fix

There are numerous ways the Mets could cover center field this year, but it’s tricky because of highly-regarded prospect Carson Benge. Benge, who turns 23 next month, is the center fielder of the future, isn’t he? Stearns even said early in the offseason that Benge could push to break spring camp with the Mets in ‘26.

Of course, Benge has only 103 plate appearances as high as Triple-A -- he started last season in Brooklyn and ascended.

If he’s almost ready, they only need a stopgap and maybe they can start Tyrone Taylor for a month or so while Benge gets more seasoning. Or, if they go for a big splash, they could sign Cody Bellinger, use him in center until Benge is ready and then put Bellinger in left. Or use Bellinger at first base. The one drawback is that Bellinger is likely to command a long-term, pricey deal. Stearns has been trimming commitments this winter, at least so far.

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