Is it really just the All-Star break? The New York Mets packed enough drama inside the season’s first few months to make screenwriters jealous. From Seymour Weiner to Grimace to Glizzy Iggy, all the characters involved assisted in telling a wild story.
Oh, and the players did their part, too (and not just Jose Iglesias, the veteran infielder/music sensation who helped turn up the vibes of the season).
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The plot, even by the Mets’ standards, is a lot. The Mets went down, losing their first five games. They got back up. They went down again. Then they went way down, dropping 11 games below .500 — on two occasions. They got back up. They have stayed up.
After all that, they resemble … a solid team. They make opponents pay for mistakes. They display resiliency. Despite some flaws, they have something they do well that may carry them to the playoffs: an ability to score a bunch of runs. After taking a winding path, the Mets (49-46) arrived at the All-Star break in the third wild-card spot.
These are three big-picture takeaways:
Everything changed after May 29
On the afternoon of May 30, the Mets’ schedule inside their clubhouse appeared more jam-packed. The entire infield, for instance, participated in a brisk on-field session of early work, hours before that day’s game. At the time, players downplayed the significance of the itinerary, but the vibe around Citi Field carried a feeling of urgency and focus. It felt different.
Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos are among the Mets who rose to the challenge of reaching a higher level. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
The night before, the Mets held their well-documented players-only meeting. Such behind-closed-doors chats make for good stories, but rarely do they produce tangible, sustainable results. J.D. Martinez hinted at the possibility this would be different soon after, saying it was one of the best meetings he had ever been part of. That was the first indication that some hope for the club had been restored.
Notably, the Mets’ best players began playing at a higher level. Francisco Lindor, who called the meeting, and Brandon Nimmo each raised their games as run producers and leaders. Both have a distinct chance of posting the best numbers of their Mets careers. And with Martinez helping to usher in a fresh layer of accountability to pregame hitting meetings, the lineup emerged as the club’s strength.
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The return of catcher Francisco Alvarez and the infusion of Iglesias provided much-needed jolts of energy. Alvarez has matured as a hitter and a more vocal leader with the pitching staff. Iglesias is one of the club’s most impactful minor-league signings in recent memory.
It’s all contributed to a significant turnaround. On June 2, the Mets dropped to 24-35. Since then, they are 25-11.
Living in both worlds has its ups and downs
In 2024, the Mets wanted to see what they had in young players while remaining competitive. The key areas where both goals were supposed to intersect — after the Mets inked Martinez to be their DH — were third base and within a couple of spots of their pitching staff. Juggling developing and winning has mostly worked out for the Mets, though they recently ran into a noteworthy challenge.
The obstacle occurred on July 8, when manager Carlos Mendoza pulled starting pitcher Christian Scott with two outs in the sixth inning despite the rookie being at just 77 pitches. The bullpen coughed up six runs and the Mets lost 8-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. This was a situation where being caught in the middle of both worlds proved costly; the Mets wanted to protect Scott, who was throwing on four days’ rest for the first time in the majors and had thrown 99 pitches his prior start. They had scripted him to throw around 75 pitches. (Had the Mets been operating with a more optimal bullpen, Scott wouldn’t have needed to throw 99 pitches in that previous start). They refused to deviate from the plan. Scott’s workload will continue to be a storyline throughout the second half.
In the bullpen, the Mets have mixed and matched with several internal options, with pitchers such as José Butto and Dedniel Núñez popping as strong pitching development wins. Both pitchers present the Mets with good choices ahead of closer Edwin Díaz. Though the Mets need stability in the bullpen, they must remain mindful of usage rates with Butto and Núñez.
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The biggest development success story aside from Alvarez belongs to Mark Vientos, who ran with the third-base job after finally getting an opportunity to do so after Brett Baty’s struggles. Vientos has lengthened the Mets’ lineup with consistent power. His ability to limit chase and bust out of small slumps offers promise. Vientos has made it easy for the Mets to give him the reins; he just keeps hitting without giving runs away defensively.
How successfully the Mets continue to balance the present and future may help determine the fate of 2024. Their farm system took a hit because of injuries, particularly on the position-player side, where outfielder Drew Gilbert could have theoretically debuted by now if a hamstring injury hadn’t cost him most of the season. As the Mets’ pitching development continues to improve, might they call on another promising hurler to help in some capacity?
Front office has acted when necessary
Fifty players have already appeared in a game for the Mets. High turnover is nothing new for president of baseball operations David Stearns and vice president Eduardo Brizuela. When both pulled levers in Milwaukee’s front office, the Brewers used a franchise-record 61 players in 2021 when they won 95 games.
It can be argued some moves should have been made earlier — generally speaking, it depends on the timing of a viable replacement — but the front office has acted in the spirit of trying to win. They quickly moved on from Joey Wendle and Zack Short, upgraded their catching situation by adding Luis Torrens and struck an early-July deal for reliever Phil Maton.
In collaboration with Mendoza and coaches, jobs have been altered as well, notably with Adrian Houser moving to the bullpen and Jeff McNeil seeing a reduction in playing time.
More personnel decisions await. The Mets must construct a viable bullpen to seriously contend.
(Top photo of Jose Iglesias: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
Will Sammon is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New York Mets and Major League Baseball. A native of Queens, New York, Will previously covered the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Gators football for The Athletic, starting in 2018. Before that, he covered Mississippi State for The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper. Follow Will on Twitter @WillSammon
