The New York Mets signing Juan Soto for 15 years, $765 million signaled a new era in Queens. Soto overcoming his slow start to set a new career highs in home runs (43) and steals (36) only boosted it.
But even as Soto is within reach of a 40-40, the Mets are on the wrong side of September again. New York held first place in the NL East with a 5.5 game lead back on June 12. Baseball’s best at 45-24.
Now, despite great seasons from both Soto and Pete Alonso, the Mets once again find themselves trying to survive September. The team is clinging to the National League’s final Wild Card spot, practically hanging on for dear life. The Reds and Diamondbacks are nipping at their heels and each trail by just one game.
Brand new September sprint to the finish line, and yet we’re faced with the prospect of, once again, the same old Mets. A few days left in the season, and there’s a very real chance they’ll miss the playoffs. And even if the Mets do clinch the Wild Card, does it matter? Their pitching staff isn’t nearly durable enough for a deep October run.
What’s sad is the Mets are no strangers to this. At all. In fact, if there’s a team in recent memory that has mastered the late season collapse? It’s the New York Mets.
Let’s not forget 2007. New York got to Game 7 of the NLCS the year before and was first in the NL East with a seven game lead on September 12. The Mets choked. A loss on the last day of the season put Philly in first place and the Mets out of the playoffs.
One year later, the Mets were in first place late in the season again, holding a half-game lead over the Phillies on September 19. New York then lost six of its last nine games while Philly won both the NL East and the World Series.
And how can we leave out 2022, when the Mets were in first place for all but six days of the season? They just had the misfortune of four of those days coming at the tail end of the season. Worse yet, they finished tied for first with the Braves, and Atlanta held the tiebreaker. The Mets settled for the Wild Card and lost a tough three-game series to the Padres.
And here we are again, baseball fans. Four games remain and, for all intents and purposes, the New York Mets control their own destiny. It’s the simple consequence of going all-in on Juan Soto and rolling the dice on a patchy rotation.
One more game with the Cubs. Then three more in Miami, and the Marlins are far from pushovers. Remember, they swept the Yankees back in August.
The Mets should win out or at least hold on to keep their Wild Card spot. The question, per usual, is if they actually will.
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