The best Mets offseason move of the last 10 years

The New York Mets have had an eventful offseason this year, and fans everywhere expect a big 2023 from this team. So far this offseason, they have added the likes of a future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Justin Verlander and Japanese star pitcher Kodai Senga. They have also re-signed closer Edwin Diaz and centerfielder Brandon Nimmo just to name a few examples.

These offseason moves so far this year got me thinking. What has been the best offseason move the Mets have had in the last ten years? There are many options to choose from, but what move has had the most significant impact on the team now and in the future?

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor has been the best acquisition in recent memory

In 2021, Steven Cohen's Mets made their first big move under him by making a trade with Cleveland. The Mets traded infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario and minor leaguers Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene in exchange for shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

The trade worked out for both teams, as Rosario and Gimenez have had a tremendous impact on the Guardians, especially Gimenez, an All-Star last season. But this is about Francisco Lindor. Not every day can a team acquire a face of a franchise-type player in a trade, but that's what Steve Cohen and the Mets did.

Lindor has always been known as one of the best shortstops in baseball, and his time in Cleveland proved that. He batted .285 in Cleveland and was a four-time all-star, two-time gold glove winner, and a two-time silver slugger winner. Once the Mets traded for Lindor, the next step was locking him up to a massive contract so he could be a New York Met for years to come, and that's what they did.

The contract extension was the most crucial part of all of this. In 2021, Lindor made it known that once the season began, he would not talk to the Mets about an extension once the season began. It looked like an extension wasn't going to be agreed upon, but in the 11th hour, on March 31, 2021, they decided on a ten-year, $341-million-dollar contract.

It was clear that the Mets got their shortstop for the next 10+ years and a guy that can play in this city and be a leader and a focal point on this team moving forward. Unfortunately, he dealt with adversity after his first year with the Mets as in his first year; he did not perform to the back of his baseball card as he had the most disappointing season of his career. He only batted .230 with only 20 HR and 63 RBI. It was an abysmal season for Lindor, and I hate to remind Mets fans about the "thumbs down" situation with former Met Javier Baez. Overall it was just an awful season for Lindor, but the following season showed the type of player the Mets got.

With a lot of pressure heading into last season, excellent that he had a fantastic season. He batted .270 with 26 HR and 107 RBI and played as an outstanding shortstop. He was a big reason why the Mets won 101 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016. There is no question that Lindor will be a focal point and a vital part of every Mets team in the coming years, and he will help the Mets on their quest for that World Series championship.