How the New York Mets built the World Series team that's shocking baseball

The New York Mets have had one of the most stunning turn-arounds in recent baseball history.

On July 24, the Mets were 49-48, three games behind the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East.

Then, over the next week, the Mets swung two trades that helped turn around their season, acquiring Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe, and most importantly, Yoenis Cespedes.

As the team got healthy, their offense exploded to one of the best in MLB - previously their biggest weakness - and a young, elite pitching staff suddenly had support.

The Mets cruised into the playoffs, finishing 90-72, with little competition from the Nationals. They went down to the wire with the Dodgers, winning the NLDS 3-2, and then swept the Cubs in the NLCS.

Now, the Mets are in the World Series for the first time since 2000. Here's a look at how they built the team that got them there.