To say that injuries derailed the 2017 Mets would be an understatement. So numerous and so serious were the ailments that befell the team that they would crush preseason optimism into a 70-92, fourth-place finish, cost the manager and the head trainer their jobs and prompt a major revision in the team’s medical practices. The optimism? Start with Yoenis Cespedes, the biggest bat in the lineup, signing a four-year, $110 million contract. Second baseman Neil Walk

The 2002 Mets were yet another example of the maxim that winning the offseason does not translate into winning the pennant. Determined to avoid a repeat of the 2001 debacle, when the Mets limped to a 77-84 fifth place finish, general manager Steve Phillips worked feverishly to overhaul the roster, jettisoning some longtime Mets and bringing in some well-known replacements. And most media members and baseball insiders commented at the time that Phillips absolute