With the flurry of recent moves, are the Mets better now than they were last season?- Athletic

In 24 hours, the club introduced free agent signing Bo Bichette and traded for Luis Robert Jr. and Freddy Peralta.

Are the New York Mets a better team than they were at the end of last season?Well, they couldn't be much worse.But it is very difficult to predict how their dramatic transformation will take place.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns set out this offseason to improve their clubhouse and defense.His new roster appears to be in line with his vision, with third baseman Bo Bichette and first baseman Jorge Polanco playing new positions.But the Mets also have the feel of a team being put together in a hurry with defensive concerns, injury concerns and perhaps chemistry concerns.

Club officials are very proud of the list of players they have acquired.But even if all of the Mets' newcomers to New York make smooth transitions to perhaps the game's most pressured market, don't be surprised if it takes time for this team to settle.The inaugural roster is expected to include at least eight new players, or a turnover of more than 30 percent.

The good news?Per Fangraphs, the Mets' projected WAR total is now third in the majors, behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees.In the NL East, the Mets project better than the Philadelphia Phillies, who have largely the same roster, just a year older, and the Atlanta Braves, who have made a number of interesting moves but are still a starting pitcher.

The Mets' failure to qualify for the postseason last season with the game's second-highest payroll meant more than Stearns had on the roster.Stearns has made up for the free-agent defection of first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz. And Wednesday night's acquisitions of left fielder Brandon Nimmo and infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil and righties Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Milwaukee Brewers address the team's remaining need for a top rotation starter.

Stearns' predecessor, Billy Eppler, was the head of baseball operations in 2022 when the Mets traded two players to the Milwaukee Brewers, right-hander Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams.But in Stearns' two-plus years at the helm, the Mets have put in place processes that have helped make their farm system one of the best in the game.

Sprout and Williams were ranked in Baseball America's latest Top 100 prospects, while the Mets added four more to the list, tying the Chicago White Cats and Cleveland Rangers for most of the clubs.At the major league level, none of the Mets' additions have materialized beyond three-year commitments, leaving room for the club to integrate young talent.

The other side of Stearns' short-term strategy is that Peralta and Bichette could be gone after a year.The same goes for new center fielder Luis Robert Jr., if he proves unworthy of the Mets picking up his $20 million club option.Polanco and reliever Luke Weaver signed for two years.

Then future turnover is inevitable.But that's a matter for another day.The bigger immediate concerns are whether this team can stay healthy and improve defensively as much as Stearns predicts, and in that area, too, the Mets couldn't be worse.They finished the season 21st in above average and 22nd in defensive efficiency (runs).

Stearns floated the idea Wednesday of adding four players to the Mets who started their careers at shortstop.Polanco got his start in Seattle last season, so it's not hard to imagine him being at least as good as Alonso.There are questions about Bichette's arm in the third, but he will spend all spring adjusting to different pitching angles.Semien, on the other hand, just finished a runner-up Gold Glove season at Texas.The 35-year-old can bounce back from back-to-back seasons with a sub-.700 OPS.

An improved center field also featured Robert, assuming he could stay in the field.The Mets' dream for Robert is that playing in a winning environment will expose him and return to the 38-homer, 20-steal sensation he was in 2023. He played in 145 games that season.Averaged 94 over the other four full seasons.

PANANC, 32, 101 games from the 2022 to 'to' suddenly to the following knees, restarts to the last three-year-old.

A past injury is the best excuse for a future injury.Alonso and Nimmo were among the most impressive players in the game.Cody Bellinger, who has averaged 139 games over the past four seasons, may be the best fit for the Mets than any player they've added, due to his reliability and versatility.But Bellinger agreed Wednesday to a five-year, $162.5 million free agent contract with the New York Yankees — a term Stearns considered too long for his liking.

There is a world where the Mets are plagued by vulnerabilities, including in their starting rotation.But there is also a world where 90 percent of the results are obtained by the majority of the new players and the improvement of the others.Offensively, trading Alonso, Nimmo and McNeil for Bichette, Polanco, Robert and Semien could work in the Mets' favor and in a big way.

A little more than a month ago, the Mets lost Alonso and Díaz on back-to-back days, creating a near-meltdown among their fans. Stearns’ plan, if he indeed had one, appeared in disarray. In some ways, it still looks a bit disjointed. But by increasing their payroll to $365 million, second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets appear to have at least bought themselves a contender.

Start there.