The Mets career of Yoenis Cespedes almost certainly ended on Sunday when he went AWOL before opting out of the season due to coronavirus concerns.
The situation with Cespedes surprised GM Brodie Van Wagenen and manager Luis Rojas, but despite the salacious details that have emerged since, what matters most for the Mets right now is on the field -- where they're flailing.
With Cespedes gone, the Mets have a DH spot to fill and a number of different lineup scenarios they can turn to as they look to get back on track and stop their season from going off the cliff it's careening toward.
Here are some options the Mets could go with...
ROBINSON CANO TO DH, JEFF McNEIL TO SECOND BASE
This option arguably makes the most sense, since it would allow the Mets to remove a 37-year-old with diminishing range from the second base dirt and slide Jeff McNeil (who has been struggling at third base) to second.
In this scenario, the Mets would be freed up to use J.D. Davis at third base (where he is most comfortable) or keep him in left field.
J.D. DAVIS TO DH, DOMINIC SMITH TO LEFT FIELD
Going by the advanced numbers from 2019, Dominic Smith was a bit better in left field than J.D. Davis as both players did their best acclimating to a position that isn't natural to them.
As noted above, the Mets have options with Davis now that Cespedes is gone. And it's hard to justify him being in left field when he's the Mets' worst defensive option for that spot. It's also hard to justify not having Smith's bat in the lineup somewhere.
DOMINIC SMITH TO DH
If the Mets decide against putting Smith in left field most days, the only other spot for him is DH -- unless the Mets want to give Pete Alonso a rest or use him at DH.
While Smith doesn't profile as the typical DH who mashes, he has plenty of pop to justify being in that slot regularly.
THE ANDRES GIMENEZ ROUTE
This one is probably the least likely since the Mets have so many options at their disposal, but the departure of Cespedes gives them an easier way to slide Gimenez's elite glove into the lineup on any given day
Gimenez could get an extended look at second base if the team turns to Cano to DH (if they leave McNeil at third base), or Gimenez could slide in at third base if McNeil shifts to second base.
Of course, going with Gimenez would likely mean either Davis or Smith being out of the lineup. While it's hard to envision that happening, it could be wise for the Mets to use Gimenez on the infield in games where an extreme ground ball pitcher -- such as David Peterson -- is starting.