NEW YORK -- Before last offseason was even a month old, the Mets re-signed Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year contract, effectively re-creating the team they had in 2016. Then they did little else over the course of the winter, leaving a roster without enough depth to endure the onslaught of injuries that followed.
That won't be the case this year. It can't be, now that Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker, Lucas Duda and Addison Reed are all gone. The Mets need to acquire a wave of players to replace their traded veterans, meaning they have no choice but to dip heavily into the free-agent and trade markets this offseason.