The New York Mets had a golden chance to reshape their season as the trade deadline approached.

Armed with financial flexibility and a stash of prospects, David Stearns could have reshaped a flawed but talented roster.

He upgraded center field with Cedric Mullins and fortified the bullpen with Tyler Rogers, Gregory Soto, and Ryan Helsley.

Unfortunately, most of them didn’t pan out in Queens, but that hasn’t been their biggest problem.

The glaring omission was starting pitching, a risk that’s now threatening to derail the Mets’ postseason hopes entirely.

At the time, Stearns bet on internal solutions instead of trading prized young talent for a proven ace.

It was a gamble rooted in optimism, and in baseball, optimism can be as dangerous as overconfidence.

Tylor Megill and Frankie Mon

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