When the Mets dealt away pristine young talent in Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, they were at least expecting to get a dominant closer along with a perennial All-Star second baseman in Robinson Cano.

Cano, who has been a staple of consistency throughout his 15-year MLB career, dealt with a variety of injury and underperformance issues in his first season as a Met. Cano has always been a durable player, but at 36 years old, his age finally started to catch up to him in the 2019 season.

“I’ve been working out hard on my body, but this year, I’ve got to focus more on the injures I have, especially my legs,” Cano told reporters, stressing the importance of improving his strength to stay healthier next season. “I have to focus on getting that stronger and then just whatever I have to do to keep exercising through the season to keep that strong.”

Cano’s season was not a complete failure, as he flashed signs of his old self at times, but his overall campaign was certainly a disappointment, as he played in only 107 games and posted just a 0.8 fWAR while hitting at a 93 wRC+. Both of these marks were his lowest since 2008.

“It’s kind of hard to describe,” Cano said of his season. “When you go home and then you work hard, every single day, to get ready and be able to help this team and go down twice with injury, hit in the hands four times. It’s kind of hard to feel as a player, because if I look back and if I was healthy, it would’ve been maybe a different season and a couple of times I was getting hotter — one was my quad and getting hit in the hands — so it’s hard.”

Cano acknowledged that the season was disappointing and frustrating not only due to his own inconsistency but for the fact that the team feel short and missed the playoffs even despite improved play in the second half.

Cano was part of some of the Mets’ late-season success, as he batted .286/.378/.508 since returning from the injured list on September 4. However, it was too little too late as the Mets finished three games back of a Wild Card spot.

Cano is still signed for four more years, so the Mets are still going to do everything they can to get as much production out of him as possible, even after a disappointing first season and the fact that Cano will be turning 37 soon. But whether Cano can stay healthy enough to contribute consistent production looms as a much bigger question than it previously appeared to.

“We have a great team, especially the rotation,” Cano said of his squad. “But sometimes stuff happens during the season. Sometimes things don’t happen the way you want, but I think, for all of us, it’s a good message — the season starts from the first game of the season. Because at the end of the day, you don’t want to rely on somebody to win or lose a game for you to be able to make the playoff.”

Cano certainly makes a good point that applies to not only him, but the entire team. While much of the Mets’ downfall can be attributed to poor roster construction by Brodie Van Wagenen, it’s on the players to stay strong for the long grind of the 162-game season. The Mets had hot stretches this season where they looked like the best team in baseball, but they unfortunately couldn’t sustain that success over the entire season.

Plenty of questions and uncertainties remain looming over Cano, who now has to go into 2020 and re-prove himself in order to live up to a contract that is beginning to look worse and worse. Also looking worse is the trade the Mets made to acquire Cano, as virtually every aspect of that move has gone wrong.

Cano will have to prove that his 2019 struggles were a fluke, and that he still has some firepower left in him if the Mets want to seriously compete in the near future.