Cubs trade for Edward Cabrera showed Northsiders what NY Mets fans are waiting for

Quiet isn't exactly the right word to describe the New York Mets' offseason. Unlike the crosstown New York Yankees, the city's Queens representative has made moves of considerable weight. Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams, and Luke Weaver are all notable additions.

Yet this winter has still been an underwhelming affair. The same issues that have truly plagued the Mets: a top-of-the-rotation starter, outfield uncertainty, and the need for a big bat are all still present. That's why fans began to look longingly at Chicago when the Cubs pulled the trigger and made a splash by nabbing Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

It's not that Cabrera is a game-changing ace, or because he was a known Mets' target. In fact, there's a lot not to like about Cabrera. With that said, it's the Cubs' process that has fans wishing David Stearns would take the bull by the horns and make a big swing this offseason.

The Cubs' trade for Edward Cabrera showed the initiative that Mets fans have been waiting for David Stearns to take

In order to land the talented-but-flawed starter, Chicago had to give up it's No. 1 prospect, Owen Caissie, another significant youngster in 12th-ranked prospect Cristian Hernandez, and a teenage lottery ticket in Edgardo De Leon.

That's a huge haul for Miami, and the type of package a team gives up when they're serious about making moves.

We've seen the Mets rumored to be in this kind of trade market at points during the winter. For a time, it looked like the club was willing to strike a deal with the San Diego Padres, with superstar closer Mason Miller being the prime target, but those talks went nowhere before evaporating into the ether.

Aside from that, you have the persistent Freddy Peralta rumors that won't go away but never seem to pick up steam. Peralta would be exactly what the doctor ordered for New York, and a move like this, while costly, would reinvigorate a frustrated fan base.

To make things worse, the Cubs went out and landed Alex Bregman in free agency just days after acquiring Cabrera, making the Mets look like a penny-pinching small-market team in the process.

It's easy for frustration to boil over, but the offseason isn't over yet, and despite some teams being highly active, most have taken a similarly patient approach to what we've seen from David Stearns and the Mets.

Maybe, just maybe, Stearns has an ace up his sleeve that tops Cabrera at a more palatable cost. Or maybe this is our new reality, at least temporarily. Until we see some action, there is going to be a vocal group of fans who are upset, and can you really blame them? It's not easy to sit idly by when you know full well that the team has the resources to make a splash and has simply chosen not to do so.