Losing Cespedes does indeed suck...on the other hand, the Mets were so close to a Carlos Gomez trade before dealing for Cespedes. Thor? Sure, great potential, but "ace" is a term reserved for a pitcher who has proven himself in that role over a few years minimum IMO. MLB has rosters full of players with great potential, but very few true aces and superstars. Like Thor. Harvey. Matz. Wheeler. (de Grom is a different story).
And for the position players, it's even more so case that you shouldn't count on something you've never really had, ie Duda, d'arnaud etc. For me a position player has to string together at least 3-4 consistently fine years before they should rated as anything more than a pipe dream. That's why it's hard for me to see the Mets injuries as all that extraordinary.
If you go into a 162 season with a large core of players who have flashed brilliance but not performed at a high level over longer stretches of time, you better have a solid plan B. Clearly the Mets don't.
Or hope that everything clicks, like it did in 2015 for the Mets. And counting on that to happen, given the history of injury with line up, is a lottery ticket.
The pain in Met land is just beginning. When this current squad falls hard, you tell me who is available to trade for high level prospects to kick in the rebuild: Duda? Walker? Grandy? Lol.
