In order for the Mets to make it to the playoffs in 2020, they're going to have to navigate an incredibly difficult 60-game schedule while separating themselves from the pack in what's expected to be arguably the toughest division in baseball.

The expectation is that Jacob deGrom will again be one of the best (if not the best) pitchers in baseball, that Pete Alonso will continue to mash dingers, and that Seth Lugo will still be a force in the back end of the bullpen, etc.

With the above expected, it's the performance of the five players below that could potentially be the difference between another playoffs near-miss and the Mets playing into October...

Edwin Diaz

Diaz said on July 3 that he wants to prove he can be the closer this season, and the advanced numbers from his disastrous 2019 campaign show that part of what happened was likely an aberration. But the other part was caused by Diaz, who couldn't harness his slider and had difficulty locating his fastball, which was still elite in terms of velocity and whiff rate.

If Diaz is able to revert back to his 2018 form, when he was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, he could be a separator for the Mets, allowing them to turn to a lights out option for saves and push their other back-end relievers down on the depth chart.

Steven Matz

With Noah Syndergaard out for the season due to Tommy John surgery and Marcus Stroman expected to slot in at No. 2, Matz could be the linchpin that holds the Mets' rotation together and provides a strong bridge between the top of the rotation and the back that has bounceback candidates Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha.

Matz had a strong second half in 2019, and he seems to have put his health issues behind him. He has all the makings of a strong mid-rotation starter, and that's what the Mets need him to be right now.

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