"It wasn't long ago that this team looked ascendent. Coming off an inspirational playoff run last year and an offseason in which they swiped Juan Soto from the Yankees and brought back postseason hero (and now franchise all-time-home-run leader Pete Alonso) in mid-June, the Mets came roaring out of the gate and had the best record in baseball by-mid June."
"They then immediately turned into the same old Mets. Since June 12, the Mets are 18 games under .500, the fourth-worst record in baseball, and have fallen not just out of first place but out of the playoffs entirely. With six games left in the season, all on the road starting Tuesday, they are tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot (along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who actively traded away players at the deadline, only one game back)."
The Mets accelerated expectations by signing Juan Soto and re-acquiring Pete Alonso, opening the season with the best record by mid-June and boasting a deep farm system and a wealthy owner demanding a World Series within 3–5 years. Since June 12 the club has gone 18 games under .500, slumping to the fourth-worst record in baseball and dropping out of playoff contention. With six road games remaining the Mets sit tied with Cincinnati for the final NL Wild Card but lose the tiebreaker after losing the season series, effectively putting them a game behind. Falling short would puncture payroll-driven championship ambitions.
Read at Intelligencer
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