No doubt a healthy staff is the key, not only for the Mets, but for all of MLB. That said, the Crew were within a game of making the playoffs last year, and I would have challenged all but the most hardcore Milwaukee fans to name the starting 5 going into the season. Our GM and scouts nailed it last year: that SP staff totally outperformed expectations and proved that it is possible to compete without Kershaw, Lester, Sale or the other big names.
Yes, there are elite pitchers. But as you know all too well as a Mets fan, you're not elite if you're on the DL. But the sign of a solid MLB organization is the ability to compete when your stars are injured. That's what the Dodgers have done. A fat wallet doesn't hurt, lol.
I hope your arms bounce back. Any division that's won in May, like the Nats did in the NL east last year, makes for a boring season. And if the Mets don't compete, the Nats might have it sown up in April.
