A funny thing happens when a rotation starts springing leaks: every flaw you thought you could patch suddenly looks like a crater. The New York Mets lived that reality in June, when the injuries hit in waves and the season tilted off balance. Tylor Megill went down. Kodai Senga, too. Sean Manaea’s form never settled.

By the time the rookies arrived with adrenaline and hope, the math was already working against them. Nolan McLean’s rise was fun and exciting, but it can’t remedy what happened in the first four months. The Mets spent the final months looking like a team that was one or two starters short because they were.

A Clear Mandate From the Front Office

David Stearns didn’t hide from that assessment. The Mets’ president of baseball operations has said plenty without needing dramatic

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