Lorenzo Cain just signed a five-year, $80 million contract with the Brewers -- a deal mostly seen as fair overall. The Mets had largely silenced any rumors of a union with Cain with the signing of Jay Bruce earlier this month, but the reasonable terms of Cain's contract raise the question of whether he would have been the better fit.
Cain represents something the Mets haven't had on the team in some time -- a starting center fielder in his natural position. While Juan Lagares is one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, he is not viewed as a starting-caliber player, and so the team has made due with reasonably athletic corner outfielders, from Yoenis Cespedes to Michael Conforto, both of whom more than account for the defensive deficiencies with strong bats.