Mets are now in the driver's seat for the wild card, and Giants/Cardinals have 4 games against each other next weekend. Magic number is 23.

Still a slim chance of catching the Nats. 8 games back, will play 3 more head-to-head. But the only way it happens if during these last 22 games the Mets go 18-4 at worst and the Nats go 10-12 at best. I don't really see either happening.

[Edited on September 9, 2016 at 5:29 PM. Reason : -]

9/9/2016 5:28:26 PM

they can catch the nats if they hurry up and call up tebow

9/9/2016 5:45:19 PM

2017 schedule released. The Mets' first 32 games are all against division opponents.

9/14/2016 4:01:55 PM

If the Mets can sweep the Twins, then here are the scenarios for the SF/StL series:

Mets will be in sole possesion of 1st WC spot with a 2-2 series split or a 3-1 Cardinals advantage.
Mets will be tied for 1st WC spot with a 3-1 Giants advantage or Cardinals 4-0 sweep.
Mets will be in 2nd WC spot with 4-0 Giants sweep, only 1 game back. Added bonus of the Cardinals being 4 games out of the 2nd spot with only 13 left to play.

9/15/2016 2:17:09 PM

It's like this team becomes instantly befuddled every time they play the Braves.

5-2 vs Cubs
2-1 vs Indians
4-3 vs Giants

9-9 vs Braves.

I guess 1-5 vs Dbacks and 1-6 vs Rockies is more embarrassing, but when you get 19 games against the 2nd worst team in MLB you have to take better advantage of it.

By comparison, the Nationals went 15-4 against the Braves this season. That's a 6-game advantage when they're ahead by 8 games.

9/21/2016 5:04:23 PM

I'll be up in the city Wednesday. Please be a night game!

10/1/2016 2:48:40 PM

Hoping for a Giants loss and Cardinals win tomorrow so the Giants will have to waste Bumgarner in a tie-break game.

10/2/2016 1:17:15 AM

I am FIRED UP. I don't love one game do-or-die, but it does create one hell of an atmosphere.

10/5/2016 7:55:19 PM

^pretty much agree. the one game set up is kinda silly for a season that lasts 162 games, but it makes a great environment.

great catch by Grandy!

10/5/2016 10:00:24 PM

Was a great atmosphere but damn did that place deflate as soon as that ball hit the bat.

Good season all things considered but could've been great with some health.

I'm worried that these great "young" pitchers are quickly getting the time run down on how long we can keep them together and healthy.

[Edited on October 6, 2016 at 12:06 AM. Reason : Citi Field has GOT to fix the bathroom situation with capacity crowds.. FFS]

10/6/2016 12:05:41 AM

What I don't like about a one game playoff (and I felt this way before the Mets lost it) is that it doesn't prove who has the better team, just who has a better day (which usually comes down to who is the better starting pitcher in this one game). If this was a best-of-3 I would put my money on the Mets to pull it out. But all tonight proved was that Bumgarner is a beast, and we knew that already. I fully expect the Cubs to steamroll the Giants, while the Mets would have put up a tougher fight.

As for Familia...he obviously was feeling fatigue down the stretch and has not been as reliable as of late. I would not have played him in a non-save situation, because those have not gone well for him this season. I think Collins may have felt pressured to put him in there after Showalter received so much crap for not playing his closer in a tied ballgame. The difference of course being that the Mets were at home and there wouldn't be a save opportunity after that point, but Addison Reed could have gone another inning. I guess it's all hindsight, because you don't expect Familia to walk the 7 batter and give up a homer to the 8th. But it's not like the Mets were going to score while Bumgarner was still in.

But holy cow was Syndergaard amazing tonight, and Granderson's catch, and Reed striking out Pence with the bases loaded...this team played hard the entire last 2 months and refused to let up.

If Harvey, DeGrom, and Matz had stayed healthy who knows what this season would have been...8 more wins could have put them over the Nats and then someone else would be going home empty. 3 starts from Ynoa, 3 from Montero, 12 from Verrett, 1 from Gilmartin...combined for 1 win and 8 losses in their decisions.

[Edited on October 6, 2016 at 5:07 AM. Reason : -]

10/6/2016 4:56:33 AM

^ That's why your aim is to win the division, not the wild card. It was bore out over 162 games that neither team last night was good enough to do that. I find the one-game playoff an appropriate penalty. That or the number of divisions in each league need to change to 2 or 4.

10/6/2016 11:49:08 AM

That was 8 1/2 of the best innings of postseason baseball ever played. I'm glad my team got to be a part of it and there are a lot of things to feel good about going into next year if the pitching can stay healthy. That's all, /season.

I think the eventual goal of MLB is to have 32 teams in 8 divisions like the NFL, but I'm not sure if there would still be wild cards in that format.

10/6/2016 2:09:34 PM

If Cespedes comes back (big if) and with ANY health luck next year should be the best of the little run since beginning of last year.

All the pieces are in place, including bullpen.

[Edited on October 6, 2016 at 2:11 PM. Reason : Reyes solved a lot of questions for 2017]

10/6/2016 2:11:12 PM

Do you think they keep Bruce? Sure the post-trade numbers were disappointing but he still had a 30-HR season and will have more time to adjust to NY and his role on the team.

Free agents:

Walker - Would love to have him back but not sure if it's worth the health risk with T.J. doing so well.
Colon - Absolutely must bring him back.
DeAza - Let him walk. He's 32, Nimmo and Conforto both have higher ceilings
Blevins - Should keep, but not a priority
Salas - Should keep
Johnson - Unnecessary
Bernadina - Who?
Loney - If Duda is healthy, and SS/3B/2B are all covered with nowhere else to put Flores, then I say lose him
R. Rivera - He came in handy down the stretch with d'Arnaud slumping. I think the Mets need to sign a new starting catcher altogether, get rid of d'Arnaud, keep Rivera as backup, and keep Plawecki in AAA.

Priorities should be:
#1 - Get Cespedes to stay
#2 - If young pitching isn't guaranteed to be healthy, sign a veteran starter
#3 - New catcher
#4 - If Cespedes leaves, find a replacement or commit to Michael Conforto as an everyday player

And otherwise I think the team is set.

[Edited on October 6, 2016 at 3:17 PM. Reason : -]

10/6/2016 3:13:36 PM

i think we are planning on picking up Bruce's option.

http://www.espn.com/blog/mlb/rumors/post/_/id/29487/mlb-rumor-central-mets-to-pick-up-option-on-jay-bruce

10/6/2016 3:27:42 PM

Good season for the Mets. To make the playoffs despite all the pitching injuries was a real accomplishment even with how shitty the NL was as a whole.

I hate the one game wild card. I guess it serves it's purpose by forcing those teams to burn their #1 guys and sets them up poorly in the division series, but I'd really like that to be a 3 game set in the future.

I'd prefer a 3-5-7-7 format for MLB over the 1-5-7-7 format. Go to a 3 game wild card series and make them play all three back to back to back. It forces the teams at a minimum to burn their #1 and #2 guys, sets them up poorly when they go into the division series in terms of bullpen rest, and gives their division series opponents more rest. I just hate teams battling for 162 games to come down to one winner take all game.

10/6/2016 5:22:42 PM

Quote :

"I fully expect the Cubs to steamroll the Giants"

Yeah, I'd love for it to happen but I doubt it. They'll probably win the whole damn thing again.

10/6/2016 6:02:06 PM

^3 consecutive days of playing would make it hard for cross-country travel in cases like this year's NYC-SF. So either:

A) getting the top WC spot becomes incredibly important because they will be home for all 3 games

or

B) game 2 is still hosted by the top team but the 2nd team still bats in the bottom of innings in game 2.

I'd actually be fine with either, as long as a team is forced to succeed beyond their Ace.

If the Dodgers hadn't decided to crap out at the end and let the Giants walk into the playoffs, there could have been a STL@SF game Monday, using up Bumgarner, and Cueto would have pitched last night. I wonder how that one would have gone.

10/6/2016 6:03:59 PM

I gave a lot of crap about the Mets trying to force the eigth inning tradition like the Sox do but I take it all back. I've never heard such a loud, happy baseball stadium after Reed struck out Pagan (?) in the eighth and Piano Man game on. I've been to some big games in my life but the feel in the stadium after that was so good.

^ I have no idea if Utley played or did anything but I'm gonna go ahead and blame him for us having to face Bumgarner. It just feels right.

^^ different team and year. Even with all the injuries the Mets were the better team. After Bumgarner they have nothing.

[Edited on October 7, 2016 at 9:00 AM. Reason : X]

10/7/2016 8:59:12 AM

Collins likely done after 2017, based on his age and health (his words, not speculation)

10/14/2016 2:47:25 PM

Bruce and Reyes staying on the Mets next season.

No word yet on Cespedes. He's expected to turn down the option but the Mets might still have the advantage on signing him out of free agency.

Mets open in Vegas as the 5th most likely team to win the 2017 series (behind Cubs, Dodgers, Nats, and Red Sox)

[Edited on November 4, 2016 at 5:31 PM. Reason : -]

11/4/2016 5:24:56 PM

OH WE CESPEDES BACK!

11/30/2016 5:06:07 PM

sounds like we're shopping Bruce now

11/30/2016 6:07:04 PM

^Reports say the Blue Jays are interested, but that Granderson might also be on the market. I imagine one will go and one will stay, making the outfield Cespedes in left, Grandy or Bruce in right, and a platoon of Conforto and Lagares in center, with Nimmo in the minors at least for the first half of the season.

Not sure what will happen in the infield. Duda, Walker, and Wright will all be coming back from injuries but I'm guessing they start opening day with Cabrera. Where does that leave Reyes though, and who bats leadoff if he's not in the lineup, especially if Granderson does get traded?

[Edited on November 30, 2016 at 6:20 PM. Reason : -]

11/30/2016 6:20:07 PM