Flushing– After an exhilarating win last night the Mets find themselves in an interesting spot at this point in the season. With a record of 31-37 the Mets are three games back from the final wild card spot that the St. Louis Cardinals (34-34) currently hold. There are certainly plenty of reasons to question why this team will make a run at the playoffs, but let’s take a look at the teams they have played and who is coming up on the schedule.
Through the first 68 games of the season the Mets have played 32 games against teams that have a record of .500 or better, most notably against the Guardians, Royals, Phillies, and Dodgers. However, the Mets are 7-3 in the last 10 games and have won 9 out of their last 13. Slowly but surely they have positioned themselves to compete for a post season spot.
While there is plenty of work to do to show they are capable of a push for a playoff spot, the remaining schedule is more favorable in comparison to the first two and a half months of the season. With 95 games left in the season 36 of them are against the following teams:
- Chicago White Sox (18-53)
- Oakland A’s (26-46)
- Los Angeles Angels (27-42)
- Miami Marlins (23-46)
- Colorado Rockies (24-45)
- Washington Nationals (33-36)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (33-36)
After the two games against San Diego out of the 93 remaining games 35 of them will be against teams that are ahead of the Mets in the wild card standings as of today. This includes seven games against the Nationals in July, a four game series against the Pirates in July, a seven game West Coast trip against the Padres and Diamondbacks in August, and a three game series against the Reds in September.
Whether the front office decides to sell, buy, or keep the team the same at the trade deadline there is a path to make the playoffs given the schedule the rest of the way. It is ultimately going to be up to President of Baseball Operations David Sterns and his vision of the team moving forward, but both Sterns and Steve Cohen have said publicly that there is a run in this team. They both believe that this team can compete for a post season spot, but will it be at the price of trading away players with expiring contracts or letting the season ride out with the roster in place.