The time is now for this current Mets core
It isn't just a Wild Card spot that is up for grabs. Legacies are also on the line for certain notable Mets as we approach crunch time...
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Monday, and will begin a nine-game homestand, starting with the Oakland Athletics at Citi Field on Tuesday
New York announced a new Mets Connect Program aimed to reward fans’ loyalty and bring them closer to the team they love (MLB.com)
WCBS - an iconic institution in New York - will end its run long run as an all-news station this month, but Mets games will remain on 880 AM (The Athletic)
INF Jose Iglesias performed his hit single ‘OMG’ to Rye Playland Park on Monday during a special meet and greet with fans
Playoff Race 🏁
After the Braves beat the Giants on Monday, the Mets are now a game back of Atlanta for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. They remain four games back of the Padres and the Diamondbacks.
Both the Cardinals and the Giants are 2.5 games behind the Mets.
There are 43 games remaining.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 26.4% chance of making the postseason.
New York has the 19th easiest schedule in MLB the rest of the way.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-5
vs. ARI: 2-2
vs. SD: 3-0
vs. CIN: 2-1
vs. STL: 4-2 (finished)
vs. SF: 2-4 (finished)
vs. PIT: 5-2 (finished)
vs. CHC: 4-3 (finished)
Down on the Farm 🌾
All four Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (61-57) vs. Athletics (50-69)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Paul Blackburn (5-2, 3.86 ERA) vs. TBD
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Time is running out for this Mets core and their legacy… ✍️
As the Mets prepare to open up a homestand at Citi Field on Tuesday, it does feel as though the most important crossroads of the season has been reached.
Following a crushing road trip, coupled with the Braves winning on Monday, the Mets enter their series against the A’s knowing any more slip-ups and falls could prove fatal.
The stakes are now at their highest for this team.
As our very own Michael Baron so beautifully put it in Monday’s newsletter, it is all right there for this group if they really want it.
I want to take that a step further today.
Time is now officially running out for this Mets core.
It is now or never when it comes to saving their legacy and ensuring their time in Queens won’t be looked upon as a total bust.
We’ve of course talked ad nauseam about the current core of Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.
This very newsletter has dedicated hours to debating whether or not the core should have been blown up this year.
Of course, the team turned things around, played themselves back into playoff contention and saved the summer. Thus, the core also bought themselves a little bit more time.
But, with just a 26.4% chance of making the postseason, per FanGraphs - and those odds seem to be shrinking by the day, by the way - it feels apt to once again ponder the future of this current core.
It feels incredibly relevant to do so right now because we could be entering the final days of half of the core.
Alonso is a pending free agent and there has long been a belief that the new Mets front office would be happy to let the slugger go find his money elsewhere.
McNeil has turned things around since the All-Star break following a nightmare first half, but he could still be destined to finish his career elsewhere.
As such, you could make a compelling argument that there is huge pressure on both Alonso and McNeil to help the Mets make the playoffs in order to salvage their own respectable legacies with this franchise. After all, Alonso may have 25 homers but he hasn’t impacted games nearly as much as he has in previous years. His inability to throw the hammer down with runners in scoring position could still ultimately doom this team down the stretch.
In that scenario, it is fair to wonder how both Alonso and McNeil will be remembered if they depart Queens this winter having failed to guide the Mets to the postseason and with no real playoff success on their resumes.
You can put Nimmo in the same boat. While he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon given that he only recently signed an eight-year contract, he too has only had one brief taste of the playoffs with the Mets. Given his maddening up-and-down year - he’s hitting just .152/.284/.190 with a .474 OPS since the All-Star break - it is perhaps only fair to look at Nimmo’s time with this franchise as a failure thus far, especially if his continued struggles lead to a disappointing finish to the 2024 season.
Lindor is considered a huge part of this core, but I don’t think it is fair to really include him in this discussion. After all, he is playing like a true MVP candidate and he has carried this team for much of the year. You can make an incredibly strong argument that the Mets wouldn’t even be alive now if it were not for Lindor and his heroic exploits on the field, coupled with his leadership off it. I know beating up on Lindor is a popular sport in Queens, but he has done nothing but play like an All-Star for the large chunk of his time as a Met.
But, as for Alonso, Nimmo and McNeil, there probably is a sense of urgency to lead the Mets to the postseason this year and see what they can do on the biggest stage.
If they contribute directly to the Mets crashing and burning down the stretch and missing the playoffs, or if they fail to come up with a huge play in the field or a big hit that leads to elimination in the Wild Card round, then there is no doubt that this current core will be deemed a gigantic failure.
It would probably also give president of baseball operations David Stearns the conviction to part company with Alonso and McNeil in the winter.
For Alonso and McNeil, they will be looked at differently if they leave having played a part in another heartbreaking season. As will their legacies.
And, as for Nimmo, the pressure will only increase and he will have to spend the remainder of his time in Queens trying to slay the dragon and evading the ghosts of previous failings. That isn’t a fun spot to be in.
Overall, every single game is now do-or-die for the Mets. There is still time to pull off something truly special. But there is also still time for this season to flame out and end in truly crushing fashion.
And, if we’re destined for the latter scenario, then this current Mets core will have a lot of looking in the mirror to do.
It could also guarantee that the 2025 Mets will look a hell of a lot different.
What ultimately ends up happening will come down to whether or not this core can prove they have what it takes to succeed in the biggest moments.
The time is now.
Around the League 🚩
The Red Sox issued a two-game suspension to OF Jarren Duran for using a homophobic slur against a heckling fan
The Mariners signed OF Víctor Robles to a two-year, $9.75 million contract extension with a $9 million option for 2027
The Rays are expected to call up INF Junior Caminero - the No. 2 overall prospect in baseball - on Tuesday
In his first game back from the IL, Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer and finished with a stolen base and an RBI single to help the Dodgers past the Brewers
Shohei Ohtani also went long for the Dodgers, crushing a 424-foot blast for his 36th homer of the year and his first career homer on a 3-0 count
The White Sox walloped the Yankees 12-2 on Monday, gifting Grady Sizemore his first career win as interim manager
Chris Sale recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts and Blake Snell carried a no-hitter into the seventh as the Braves beat the Giants in a true pitchers duel
while I agree in principle with most of this, intimating that Nimmo's tenure is somehow a failure b/c of a few bad weeks at the dish is nothing short of laughable.
How quickly things change. Two weeks ago FanGraphs had the Mets with a 55.9% chance of making the playoffs. Today, it sits at 26.4%
That's nearly a 30% points tumble. The time is now, Metsies, let's gooo. Ya gotta believe.