What felt like a slow burn early in the offseason has turned into a stretch of blunt force trauma, with decision after decision breaking the wrong way. In the span of a few days, the Mets watched familiar names and targeted solutions land elsewhere, often on deals that revealed just how unforgiving the current market has become.

Sometimes, it’s watching as three of the Mets’ staples depart in a matter of weeks that creates an impossible reality.

With Díaz headed to the Dodgers, the Mets are expected to turn to former Milwaukee Brewers All-Star reliever Devin Williams as their new closer. The Mets signed Williams, who struggled throughout last season with the crosstown Yankees, to a three-year, $51 million contract earlier this month.

The Mets' roster is being ransacked. A day after losing All-Star closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers, they watched all-time home-run leader Pete Alonso sign with the Baltimore Orioles.

The Mets spent all summer among the chased and will begin the autumn — or is it The Fall? — as a team chasing. Goodbye lead for the National League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Mets now have six games to overtake the Reds or they will head ...

Maybe Stearns thinks he can replace Alonso’s production with that of Bellinger, who’s shown he can do it in New York. Or Kyle Tucker, who hasn’t.

The Mets, Yankees and “most all big-market” teams have reportedly checked in on free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, as have the Baltimore Orioles.

Overall last season, Polanco spent the bulk of his time at DH, adding 39 games at second, a handful at third and his emergency appearance at first. But with Alonso, who played 160 games at first last season, now in Baltimore, the Mets will currently need Polanco to spend plenty of time at the position.