Mets make playoffs in ’16, fall short of goal

NEW YORK — Still soaring from their World Series appearance in 2015, the Mets entered this past season with higher expectations than at nearly any point in their 54-year history. Among the National League’s preseason favorites, the Mets aimed to combine their standout starting pitching with a good-enough offense to return to October glory.

It didn’t work out quite according to plan. Nearly every step of the way, injuries undermined the Mets, who lost three-fifths of their rotation and three-quarters of their starting infield for large swaths of the summer. But the Mets persevered, relying on a cast of relative unknowns to stay afloat in the NL Wild Card race, before ultimately earning a playoff berth on the season’s final weekend.

2016 Year in Review Final 2016 MLB stats Final 2016 MLB standings Hot Stove Tracker Select a team ¬–AL East ¬BaltimoreBostonNew YorkTampa BayToronto–AL Central ¬ChicagoClevelandDetroitKansas CityMinnesota–AL West ¬HoustonLos AngelesOaklandSeattleTexas–NL East ¬AtlantaMiamiNew YorkPhiladelphiaWashington–NL Central ¬ChicagoCincinnatiMilwaukeePittsburghSt. Louis–NL West ¬ArizonaColoradoLos AngelesSan DiegoSan FranciscoFull coverage ¬–PostseasonAll-Star GameDraftStatcastOpening DayHall of Fame inductionsJackie Robinson DayRoberto Clemente DayFort Bragg GameTrade DeadlineWinter MeetingsAwardsFeats, tributes ¬–Ichiro reaches 3,000 hitsArrieta’s second career no-hitterScherzer strikes out 20Scully retires after legendary careerBig Papi calls it a careerJose Fernandez: 1992-2016Monte Irvin: 1919-2016Ralph Branca: 1926-2016

Hardly a perfect season, 2016 was nonetheless a successful one for the Mets. Here’s a look back at their top five storylines from this year:

5. A Cespedes for the rest of us

Throughout last offseason, the Mets said publicly and privately, over and over again, that they had little interest in retaining outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. True, Cespedes had transformed the 2015 Mets, hitting 17 home runs in two months down the stretch to lead them to the postseason — and eventually the World Series. But with Cespedes likely to command a nine-figure deal on the open market, the Mets had little interest in a reunion.

That changed in January, when Cespedes’ camp became amenable to a shorter deal with an opt-out clause. When he signed a three-year pact worth $75 million, fans rejoiced. Then they watched him make headlines all year long. Cespedes rolled into Spring Training on a series of exotic automobiles, then a horse, then a tricycle. He fell into hot water when Twitter users spied him golfing despite a quadriceps injury. But mostly, Cespedes made good on his contract, batting .280 with 31 homers in 132 …

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