MLB 2017: One prediction for each team

New York Mets: the Amazins miss the playoffs

Bringing back Yoenis Cespedes again was great, but the Mets still have plenty of unaddressed questions on their roster. The Mets have a one-dimensional lineup with question marks at first base and third base. Either Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson still needs to be traded. The health and ability to produce of David Wright, Travis d’Arnaud and Lucas Duda is also up in the air.

The big elephant in the room is the health of the starting rotation. Noah Syndergaard was the only hurler to make it through the entire season unscathed, and even he began wearing down in the second half. Matt Harvey will attempt to come back from a difficult shoulder procedure. Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz have both already had Tommy John surgery once. Zack Wheeler was only able to make one appearance in the minors while coming back from his own TJ.

The Mets have built a house of cards on their starting rotation, and it can all come crashing down in a hurry. Bartolo Colon, who could be counted on to eat up innings, is gone. When an entire team’s hopes hinge on the health of young power pitchers, even the slightest hiccup can derail a season. Next year will be another winning year for the Mets, but with the rest of the division and other playoff contenders improving, it will end short of the postseason.