Last year, the New York Mets entered the season as NL East favorites, but between injuries and some stars underperforming, they had to shift course in the summer.
That’s when they decided to sell, trading valuable veterans such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Mark Canha, David Robertson, and others for prospects.
Because of this, they weren’t expected to contend in 2024 and some officials even named 2025 as the start of the Mets’ contention window. But they are close to pulling off the impossible.
Thanks to some inspired mound performances by Tylor Megill, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea plus the steady production and leadership of Francisco Lindor, the Mets swept the Chicago White Sox and have accumulated four wins in a row.
The playoffs are within reach for the Mets
They are 73-64 on the season as a whole, and as of Monday afternoon, they are one game removed from a playoff spot. One game. The owner of that spot, the Atlanta Braves, didn’t have a particularly good week and is now close to being knocked out of the October party.
We don’t know if the Mets have what it takes to sneak into the postseason. Nobody does. But we do know that their fans have a right to dream about it.
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There is a full month to go and if the Braves don’t fall, there are other two teams who might. After all, the Mets are four games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks, owners of the first Wild Card, and also four games behind the second spot, occupied by the San Diego Padres. That difference with roughly four weeks to play is manageable.
There are injured pitchers expected to return this month and prospects who could make an impact. The overall state of the franchise is excellent and morale is good. Will the Mets sneak into October one year before they plan to be having this conversation?
