PHILADELPHIA (FAF) — Analysts are theorizing the New York Mets may be organizing an illegal and possibly immoral “stealth boycott” of the 2025 Major League Baseball postseason and are coming closer every day to their goal of not participating in the upcoming championship tournament.
By losing their fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night, 9-3, at Citizens Bank Park, the Mets fell to within two games of the nearest Wild Card aspirant, the surging San Francisco Giants. The stubbornly viable Cincinnati Reds also won on Tuesday, moving them within three of the Mets. New York, once seen as a sure entrant into the National League playoffs, appears to be standing on ever shakier ground.
It may not be a matter of simple bad play or bad luck, according to those who claim experience in the field.
“Look at how they proceed,” suggests a man willing to identify himself as only El Castillo, a former baseball operative. “They do just enough to indicate they are perfectly capable of winning games, yet they inevitably find a way to lose. This could be interpreted as a sign they do not want to compete beyond their heretofore agreed-upon schedule.”
El Castillo points to individual Mets’ inclinations to “do something well to momentarily make you forget they do something poorly,” so the overall outcome they produce is muddied. “Sean Manaea pitches very badly for a couple of innings, enough to do sufficient damage to his team’s fortunes, then suddenly ‘gets it together’ to finish on ‘a high note’. Jose Siri returns from a long absence and hits a ball that almost goes out of the stadium, then almost makes a difficult catch. Mark Vientos wins your trust by belting a home run, so much so that when he plays a ground ball nonchalantly and allows a base hit that sets up a big inning, well, it’s ‘just one of those things’.
“Or is it?”
Another veteran baseball observer, willing to be known only as Double Agent Punctuation Mark (“double, as in I gave up crucial run-scoring doubles when it mattered most, punctuation mark, because family newspapers did not wish to spell my name properly out of concern for ‘propriety’”), points to the activities of Juan Soto, who joined the 30/30 club Tuesday when he stole a base in a less than advantageous situation.
Yay?
“I understand the lure of milestones,” Punctuation Mark says. “For a brief time, achieving them can earn you the trust of a doubting populace. And nobody can deny the excellence of Soto. But he attempts to steal third base in the eighth inning with two out and his team down by five runs. You have 30 stolen bases to go with 30 home runs in one year, or you have 300 wins in your career, and it all seems very positive. But you have to ask yourself whether this is about winning and making the postseason, or just about a shiny bauble obscuring a desire to go home in two or three weeks.”
While Soto’s achievement of 30/30 reflects genuine seasonlong achievement, the Mets over the past few months have failed to mount a record of as much as 30-30 over any 60-game span. Most pertinently, they have compiled only 31 wins in their past 76 contests, leaving them in the peril they currently face.
“This does not appear to be a team that wishes to have its October filled by baseball,” Punctuation Mark declares. “Their general manager planted among them several assets who clearly do not boost their chances of winning. I don’t know if their manager shares his players’ reluctance to extend their season, but he does not appear to be particularly proactive in rousing them from their doldrums — and if he is, he is not effective. I also don’t know who are the ringleaders in this reverse-momentum effort, as almost none of the ‘stars’ are, in a phrase I like to use, ‘brave’ enough to meet the moment. The lack of fire is disturbing to the naked eye.”
To those who would counter that the recent elevation of Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat is evidence of a Mets team doing its best to win, Punctuation Mark presents a different theory: “I will say the insertion of this trio of potentially brilliant young starting pitchers seems to represent clever subterfuge. They are too ‘fresh’ to be part of such a scheme to avoid winning, but there are only three of them. They may not realize they are pitching on behalf of an intentional lost cause.”
Despite the stumbling the Mets have done from their once-high perch above the National League East, they remain in playoff position and can regain traction by living up to their reputation and playing up to their capabilities over the season’s final 17 games.
“If they wanted to grab hold of a playoff spot, they surely have the talent to do so,” El Castillo believes. “All they have to do is reach out and take it. But if they don’t grab it with both hands, we will know they are not serious about their effort. There is an old proverb from where I come — all it takes to drop something you should be holding tight is one hand in the air and one hand nowhere in sight, so you better use two hands.”
No matter who is now on Jets and Giants, Mendoza is clearly the best punter in NY right now.
As Jack Soo said in his final line ever, on Barney Miller:
“I have nothing more to add.”
This is brilliant writing, and frankly, we should never have been put in this position. Too talented… unless we are really not, due to really lousy pitching (and hitting).
Although honestly, how can Soto be thought of as an MVP, when his avg with RISP through AUG was around .185? Also, this is not a very likeable team, led by Soto (and also Lindor, BTW). Last year’s team was very likeable, led by all the gimmickry that seemed to be honestly created.
Another good reason for finishing first is that Alonso may not be available in the WC round. Flash back to a few months ago when he indicated that his wife was due on those dates.
He said, “We are going to have to thread the needle.” Seems that’s what got us all in this mess in the first place.
I’m kind of done with these guys. At this point, I actually sort of hope they don’t make the playoffs. That might force the brass to fire Mendoza and make some adjustments to their methods. Besides, they really don’t deserve to go to the postseason, if we’re really being honest. Sorry, just saying.
I’ll keep watching because what else am I gonna do in Central Indiana on a weekday evening? But yeah, my expectations are pretty much nil. On the plus side, I have reached a mental state of moribund resignation. And enjoyed the chance to use moribund in a sentence so all is not lost.
You know what pissed me off more than anything for some reason last night? Six runs down in the 9th and they’re still doing that saturday night fever sign when they get a hit. It’s like someone doing a touchdown dance when you’ve cut the opponent’s lead to 35-7 with 30 seconds left.
Curt, it’s not even a touchdown dance. It’s a 12 yard completion at the 40 yard line for a 1st down.
The Jeremy Shockey approach.
It’s a combo hand motion. First you do the basketball “traveling” signal, then you pump your fist in an “up your ass” gesture.
great expose greg. how else to explain all this?
yesterday when jason closed comments, i thought i had gone too far in expressing my indifference to these 2025 mets’ playoff ‘aspirations’
i’m glad to feel like i’m not alone in this – i’m especially looking at you open the gates ;0]
i feel bad though that the team’s three most talented arms may, in their ascensions to the majors, get their first taste of a collapse that really needed not happen.
it’s hard to see how this team, composed of so many parts of last year’s team, could play with so little fire and determination.
a shake-up certainly seems warranted. they have 3 weeks to prove me wrong.
c’mon rojas, light a fire under these guys already!
er, i mean mendoza.
One should ask, as someone elsewhere did, if Giants overtake Mets will this be first time a “seller” at the deadline beat out team it sold to?
And, of course, the shame of Gilbert and Butto now on Giants, but overlooked is that Joey Lucchesi is doing swell for them also, a 3.03 era in 32 appearances or some such….Butto has 3.07 era for them.
They call the wind Manaea.
Everyone in this comments section cares a lot more about whether the Mets win or lose than this roster of players does in 2025.
They’re laughing in the late innings of a humiliating loss in Philadelphia. We’re not.
They don’t care. Prove me wrong.
I hope this is not so harsh that it causes our masters to close down the comments for today.
The fans are angry, and have every right to be. This now classifies as a really disappointing season, after starting out so strong. It’s not over yet, but the patterns keep repeating themselves, which doesn’t seem promising.
where’s brad pitt’s billy bean in the locker room when he’s needed most?
is the entire team channelling tom i’m not devastated glavine?
and first-pitch swinging in the ninth?
when a passed ball or ball can tie the game
it feels like these guys have booked golf vacations for october 1st
(my conspiracy theory)