What I’ve found is most of the people that support the Yoenis Cespedes trade is he transformed the offense, and he was the reason the Mets won the NL East. Other people say while Cespedes was great with the Mets, there were other more important factors helping the Mets win the NL East. These arguments rest upon the Mets getting healthy and a weak August schedule. 

I think the best way to look at this is just to present the facts. I’m presenting them unadulterated and without comment. Before presenting them, remember that Cespedes’ first game with the Mets was 8/1. 

Pre-Cespedes Record: 53 – 51

Post-Cespedes Record: 37 – 21 

In the same time frame, here is the Nationals record:

Pre-Cespedes Record: 54-47

Post-Cespedes Record: 29-32

Mets Opponents Combined Win Percentage and Mets Record by Month:

April Opponents .458 Mets 15-8

May Opponents .510 Mets 13-15

June Opponents .483 Mets 12-15

July Opponents .537 Mets 13-12

August Opponents .480 Mets 20-8

September/October Opponents  .458 Mets 17-14

Here is the Mets and Nationals records and position in the standings at the end of every month:

April 

Mets 15-8 

Nats 10-13 (5.0 games back)

May 

Nats 28-22

Mets 28-23 (0.5 games behind)

June 

Nats 43-34

Mets 40-38 (3.5 games behind)

July

Nats 54-47

Mets 53-50 (2.0 games behind)

August 

Mets 73-58 

Nats 66-64 (6.5 games behind)

September/October

Mets 90-72

Nats 83-79 (7.0 games behind)

Overall, the Mets went from 2.0 games behind heading into August to 6.5 games up at the end of the month. As stated above the Mets record in August was 20-8 against opponents with a .480 winning percentage. The Nationals went 12-17 against opponents with a .490 winning percentage. Aside from the records, here is some additional information to consider:

Dates Key Players Came off the DL for good (by first game played after activation):

Travis d’Arnaud July 31st
Daniel Murphy June 30th
David Wright August 24th
Michael Cuddyer August 11th

Here are some other key dates from the 2015 season to consider:

July 24 – Michael Conforto called up from AA 

July 24 – Mets trade for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson

July 27th – Mets trade for Tyler Clippard

July 30 – John Mayberry, Jr. released

July 31 – Mets trade for Cespedes

August 1 – Cespedes plays first game with the Mets

Again, I’m making no comment on any of this information. It’s being presented to review it and process it. Upon reviewing the information, does your judgment on how Cespedes impacted the Mets change or remain the same?