The glimmer of hope that the Mets provided at the start of July in the form of a season-high six-game winning streak was dimmed after losing the final two games before the All-Star break to the San Diego Padres.
With 90 games played and the big leagues taking a break for the festivities out in Seattle, the Mets are 42-48, six games under .500, 18.5 games out of the NL East division lead behind the Atlanta Braves, and seven games behind the final NL Wild Card spot.
Simply put, they need to show more to owner Steve Cohen that they’re a worthy group of receiving an additional investment in the form of making a move to better this current roster at the trade deadline, which is on Aug. 1.
But just how well will the Mets have to play to legitimately enter the postseason conversation?
The second straight year of Major League Baseball’s expanded playoffs provides an incrementally larger lifeline as six teams per league (three division winners, three Wild Cards) earn an invitation to the playoffs.
Last season, the Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the final NL Wild Card spot with 87 wins. The Tampa Bay Rays took the third AL Wild Card spot with 86 wins.
That’s the range the Mets must shoot for at a minimum if they want to make the postseason, which means they would have to go, at minimum, 44-28 to make a push.
The first 11 games after the All-Star break will likely be the cut-off point for Cohen, though, in terms of whether or not he will want to buy or sell — the latter option more likely than not would seal the Mets’ 2023 fate as postseason-less disappointments.
They host the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are tied for the top spot in the NL West, for three games at Citi Field before three against the disappointing Chicago White Sox, who are 38-54 in a weak AL Central.
It’s the Mets’ best opportunity to gain some momentum before a pair of what could be do-or-die series with the American League East’s Boston Red Sox and crosstown-rival Yankees — both coming on the road.
The finale of the two-game set in the Bronx would take the Mets to July 26 where a slow reboot to the campaign would probably be all that Cohen needs to see to cut his losses and start selling.
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