New York Mets Winning is About a Lot More Than Grimace!

Can the Mets Make the Playoffs?

This is the question the Mets have a little over six weeks to answer. Their recent hot streak has been great to watch, but it will inevitably come to an end at some point (unless Grimace really is magic).

For a team that is still two games under .500, the Mets have their work cut out for them. However, they have almost crawled out of the hole they dug for themselves in May and are off to an 11-4 start in June, with nine games left to play this month. They will open up July with a stretch of 18 games against sub-.500 teams, giving them a runway to really assert themselves in the NL Wild Card race.

If the Mets fall back behind the pack again, there is still every chance they become the sellers everyone in the national media has been projecting them to be. But Pete Alonso and the rest of the Mets stars can avoid that fate if they just keep on winning.

In an NL Wild Card race that currently has eight teams separated by just two games, anything can happen this year. Including the New York Mets finding their way back into the playoffs, against all odds from where they were at the end of May.

Mets Odds to Make the Playoffs YES +215 | NO -305

What Changed in the Clubhouse with Lopez’s Toss?

When Jorge López was ejected from the Mets' 10-3 drubbing by the Los Angeles Dodgers, it capped off a brutal stretch where the Mets stumbled to a 7-19 record to open May. This dismal run eerily mirrored last season's June collapse, where a 7-19 skid derailed their campaign.

Let's not forget the Mets notched 101 wins in 2022, but they've struggled to recapture that form. The 2023 season spiraled into a fiasco, turning them from aggressive free-agent spenders into desperate sellers at the trade deadline, all in a bid to reboot their roster.

In 2024, the Mets endured another nightmarish 26-game stretch akin to their 2023 woes, forcing a moment of introspection. López's glove-tossing ejection was the final straw, leading to his release from the club.

Before the New York media could grill the Mets about López and their series loss to the Dodgers, Francisco Lindor took charge. He locked the clubhouse doors and convened a players-only meeting.

J.D. Martinez, a six-time All-Star and World Series champ, later hailed that meeting as one of the best in his career.

The players talked about accountability. The message was straightforward: each player needed to take responsibility for their performance. Lindor emphasized that if every player could look in the mirror and be proud of their daily effort, they could live with the results.

Rock bottom had been reached. Labeled as the worst team in baseball, the Mets had nothing left to lose. They decided to focus on the process and rediscover the joy of playing.

Since that pivotal meeting, the Mets have clearly been enjoying themselves a lot more, winning 13 of their last 18 games. The transformation is palpable, and the fun is back in Queens.

Francisco Lindor’s Leadership Has Been Felt

Francisco Lindor deserves far more credit than Grimace for the New York Mets' recent resurgence.

Lindor's 2024 season started with a rough slump, seeing him return to Cleveland on May 20th with a batting average below the Mendoza Line at .197. Two days before that, the Mets made a pivotal move.

They slotted Lindor into the leadoff spot, a position he hadn’t consistently occupied since 2019 with the then-Indians. Back then, he was a 25-year-old dynamo. Now, five years later, the Mets hoped this change would reignite his season.

In the 28 games since the switch, Lindor has been on fire, slashing .339/.403/.565 and raising his OPS by 115 points from .630 to .745. This remarkable turnaround began on May 18th, setting the stage for Lindor to become the catalyst the Mets desperately needed after a dismal 7-19 stretch in May.

When the Mets faced the Diamondbacks on May 29th, a post-players-only meeting, Lindor was ready to lead by example. He kicked off the game with a single and quickly swiped second base, though he was left stranded. In his second at-bat in the third inning, Lindor took matters into his own hands with a solo homer. He finished the day 4-for-4, tying the game in the seventh inning and setting the stage for J.D. Martinez's game-winning homer in the eighth. The Mets won 3-2.

The following game saw the Mets' offense explode for 10 runs, marking just the second time all season they hit double digits, leading to another victory. Though they split the four-game set with the D-Backs, the players had established a better process in the clubhouse.

This new approach paid dividends on their subsequent road trip. The Mets swept the Nationals in D.C., capping the series with a 9-1 blowout.

Next, the Mets faced the Phillies in the London Series. After dropping the first game, they avoided a sweep with a dramatic ninth-inning comeback, scoring three runs off closer Jose Alvarado.

The momentum from their D.C. sweep and London comeback was momentarily stalled by Jesus Luzardo and jetlag in their first game back stateside, but the Mets quickly rebounded, winning seven straight games and playing their best baseball of the season.

Sure, Grimace made his cameo, but the real story lies in Lindor's leadership and the on-field performance that followed.

The Return of Mets Leaders and Emergence of a New One

During the Mets' recent winning streak, they've been buoyed by the return of key leaders from injuries and the breakout performances of their regulars.

Starting catcher Francisco Alvarez hit the injured list on April 20th, and the Mets' struggles seemed to align with his absence. His return to the starting lineup after the London Series has been a significant boost. Additionally, Edwin Diaz came off the IL last Thursday after dealing with shoulder discomfort since the end of May.

Diaz took some time to rest and regain his confidence through a minor league assignment. His impact was immediate in his first game back, a 3-2 victory. With the Mets trailing 2-1, Diaz kept them in the game with a flawless ninth inning. In the bottom half, J.D. Martinez hit the first walk-off homer of his career.

Martinez's heroics carried into the Mets’ next series against the San Diego Padres, where he put on a masterclass. He went 6-for-9 with five walks in 14 plate appearances. In Game 1, Martinez drove in the Mets' only two runs with a double. In Game 2, he homered twice and reached base in all five of his plate appearances. In the final game, he went 2-for-3 with another RBI double, earning him NL Player of the Week honors.

Meanwhile, Diaz made the first game of the Padres series stand up, converting his first save in 39 days by pitching back-to-back days with a one-run lead. With Diaz back, the rest of the bullpen has been able to settle into their roles, no longer needing a closer-by-committee approach.

The combination of Lindor and Martinez's leadership in the lineup, Alvarez's presence behind the dish, and Diaz's stability in the bullpen have put the Mets on much steadier footing moving forward.

Finding the Right Combination in The Starting Lineup

Another significant factor in the Mets' seven-game winning streak has been a strategic change in their batting order. Initially, moving Francisco Lindor to the leadoff spot wasn't enough to get the lineup firing on all cylinders. But on June 12th, following a suggestion from a podcast host, the Mets made a key adjustment: Pete Alonso was dropped from the two-hole to clean up, and J.D. Martinez moved up to bat third.

This change triggered the first of three double-digit scoring outbreaks during the streak. In the first game, Harrison Bader batted second (and homered), replacing Brandon Nimmo, who took a day off to regroup. Nimmo had been struggling mightily in the third spot, striking out 34 times in 89 plate appearances (38.2%), including eight in his previous three starts.

Since moving to the two-hole, Nimmo has been on fire, going 12-for-28 with eight runs scored and seven RBIs in six games. Alonso has also thrived in the cleanup spot, driving in 10 runs over the Mets' last four games.

On Sunday, the new top four showed their potential as they roughed up Dylan Cease, scoring four runs before he could record an out. Lindor led off with a home run, Nimmo followed with a single, Martinez drew a walk, and Alonso smashed a three-run homer, his 15th of the season.

If this top quartet can maintain their consistency, the Mets lineup will likely avoid the slumps that have plagued them this season. With potent hitters like Starling Marte, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez following them, the Mets' offense is primed to stay ignited moving forward.

Regular Season Home Run Leaders Pete Alonso +3200 

Credit to the Mets Front Office

When the best players perform, everything else can fall into place. This has certainly been true for the Mets, but their front office deserves credit for making the moves that set the stage for this turnaround.

First, the decision to DFA Jorge López, who had posted a 6.23 ERA in his last 15 appearances, was crucial. They replaced him with Danny Young, who allowed just one run in seven appearances before being sent down when Edwin Díaz returned from the IL last week.

On May 31st, the Mets made the somewhat surprising decision to option both third baseman Brett Baty and rookie standout Christian Scott. While Baty’s demotion was expected due to Mark Vientos’ strong performance, Scott’s was more puzzling. Scott had a solid 3.90 ERA in his five starts, going at least six innings in three of them. As a top-25 prospect, he was one of the few bright spots for fans in May, but his presence forced the Mets into maintaining a six-man rotation.

With Tylor Megill and David Peterson returning from the IL, the Mets sent Scott down and brought up Dedniel Núñez, who had impressed in previous stints. Núñez had thrown two scoreless innings as the 27th man in a doubleheader on May 28th. Including that appearance and the six since he rejoined the 26-man roster, Núñez has allowed just one run and four hits with 16 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings.

Núñez provides manager Carlos Mendoza with another reliable reliever for high-leverage situations and multiple innings of relief, a role Reed Garrett has excelled this season. With Garrett, Núñez, and Sean Reid-Foley (1.69 ERA in 21.1 IP), the Mets have a strong trio of setup men to bridge the gap to Díaz.

Additionally, demoting Baty allowed the Mets to add José Iglesias to the roster, giving them a true backup utility infielder. In the series sweep against the Nationals, Iglesias started ahead of Jeff McNeil in all three games, facing left-handed pitchers and hitting .400 in his first 25 at-bats.

On the last day of May, the Mets also made a key trade with the Yankees for catcher Luis Torrens, who had an opt-out in his minor league contract. To make room for Torrens, the Mets released Omar Narváez, who had been struggling with a .154/.191/.185 slash line and a -0.8 fWAR, the worst on the team.

Despite some skepticism, Torrens has been a revelation. In his first nine games with the Mets, Torrens has hit .333/.385/.750 with three home runs, including a multi-homer game off Patrick Corbin. He has also excelled defensively, throwing out three of four base stealers and ending the London Series with a spectacular 2-3 double play.

Torrens quickly claimed the backup catcher role, leading to the release of Tomás Nido, who had been with the organization for 12 years. With Torrens and Francisco Álvarez, the Mets now have a formidable catching duo.

The combination of strategic roster moves and the resurgence of their star players has the Mets looking like a team on the rise. The front office’s decisions have put the Mets in a position to capitalize on their recent success and maintain their momentum moving forward.

Mets World Series Winner +8500

Can the Mets Make the Playoffs?

This is the question the Mets have a little over six weeks to answer. Their recent hot streak has been great to watch, but it will inevitably come to an end at some point (unless Grimace really is magic).

For a team that is still two games under .500, the Mets have their work cut out for them. However, they have almost crawled out of the hole they dug for themselves in May and are off to an 11-4 start in June, with nine games left to play this month. They will open up July with a stretch of 18 games against sub-.500 teams, giving them a runway to really assert themselves in the NL Wild Card race.

If the Mets fall back behind the pack again, there is still every chance they become the sellers everyone in the national media has been projecting them to be. But Pete Alonso and the rest of the Mets stars can avoid that fate if they just keep on winning.

In an NL Wild Card race that currently has eight teams separated by just two games, anything can happen this year. Including the New York Mets finding their way back into the playoffs, against all odds from where they were at the end of May.

Mets Odds to Make the Playoffs YES +215 | NO -305