Yankees: Who will rule New York City in 2021, Yankees or Mets?

Could the Mets contend for a World Series in 2021?

Except for the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox, the Mets improved their ball club the most during the offseason compared to the rest of the league. As a result, most analysts agree that the Padres and Mets have narrowed the quality gap between them and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League.

While the Dodgers are still favored to reach the World Series and repeat, don’t be surprised if the team eventually regrets spending a lot of money on Trevor Bauer and Justin Turner. Bauer has yet to prove his worth consistently and a Turner regression wouldn’t be surprising at all.

Along with the usual minor player personnel moves during the offseason, the Mets made several momentous transactions heading into 2021. They traded shortstop Francisco Lindor, who’s arguably the best in MLB at his position, and pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who provides tremendous depth. New York also struck a deal with the Padres for pitcher Joey Lucchesi.

In addition to adding Lindor and Carrasco, the Mets signed James McCann (the second-best catcher on the market this offseason) and hurlers Trevor May and Taijuan Walker. The Mets were also able to persuade starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to accept the team’s qualifying offer, which gives them an elite rotation that can rival the Dodgers’.

The team recently signed Jonathan Villar, who can play every infield position as well as center field, which gives them tremendous versatility off the bench. Other notable additions include Albert Almora, Aaron Loup and Jose Martinez.

Cohen may not have signed any big ticket free agents, but he made one blockbuster trade and provided aid to areas of the roster that badly needed it. One could argue depth is more important than star power, especially since the Mets already have a number of studs ready to rock in 2021.

Now, for the Yanks…