Thirty games in the books, as the calendar has turned to May, and the Mets are 15-15, which begs the question: Is that good or bad?
Considering the relatively low expectations heading into this season, as well as the injury to ace Kodai Senga, and the 0-5 start, I’d lean more toward good than bad, to be sure.
Still, a .500 record won’t be good enough to earn a postseason berth, even with three wild-card spots available, so the Mets will have to raise their level over the course of the next 132 games in order to play October baseball.
Will they do it?
There are some promising signs but significant flaws as well. In a general sense, the pitching has been better than expected, the offense worse. All in all, I think they’ll play at least somewhat better the rest of the way and be in the race for a wild card spot.
To help you judge for yourself I go into more detail here with my Top 5 Reasons For Optimism and as well as my Top 3 Reasons For Concern.
REASONS FOR OPTIMISM
1. THE BULLPEN
Easily the most pleasant surprise of the season for the Mets, the bullpen has been deep and dominant, a combination that can carry a team with decent starting pitching a long way.
Most notably the Mets’ pen, as of Thursday, leads the majors in strikeouts, with 148 in 113.2 innings, and lowest opponent batting average, holding hitters to a .186 average.
Edwin Diaz’s velocity has been down a tick at times but he has mostly been back to his 2022 form, notwithstanding that ninth-inning home run by Christopher Morel on Monday night.
The stunner has been Reed Garrett and his 0.57 ERA and 28 K’s in 15.2 innings after being claimed on waivers last season, but the Mets are getting important contributions from as many as eight different relievers.
2. LUIS SEVERINO
So far the Severino contract, a one-year, $13 million deal, is in the running for best signing of the offseason as the right-hander is pitching with dominance reminiscent of his early years with the Yankees.
He’s more of a complete pitcher now, admittedly no longer trying to strike everybody out, but mixing a sinker and cutter that have produced weak contact to go with a still formidable fastball in the 97-98 mph range.
Since a shaky first start of the season, Severino has pitched to a 1.80 ERA over his last five starts, allowing only 15 hits in 30 innings.