Mets newcomers Darin Ruf, Mychal Givens 'excited' to be playing for contender

With the MLB trade deadline now in the rearview mirror, contenders all over the league are welcoming newcomers to their clubhouse, eager to get them settled in and to continue their final push for a deep playoff run.

Of those teams includes the Mets, whose latest additions, Darin Ruf and Mychal Givens, joined the team in Washington and will both be available to play in Wednesday’s rubber game against the Nationals.

Both Ruf and Givens were “excited” to get started, especially now that they are both on a team with World Series aspirations.

“Obviously emotional and excited all at the same time…” Ruf said. “… I know this team has very high, lofty goals and I’m so excited to be a part of that.”

Givens is eager to get going as well, but has one other reason that he’s excited to play for New York.

“I’m just excited going to a contender and being back with Buck (Showalter) who was my manager as a rookie….” he said. “… (Buck is) one of the best managers I’ve had in my career and he knows how to win games.”

At 65-38 entering play on Wednesday, Showalter and the Mets sure have known how to win games this season — something Ruf and Givens both experienced on the other end.

Against the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs — Ruf and Givens’ former teams — the Mets are 7-4 with three games remaining against Chicago at Citi Field.

“From the outside looking in, it was a team you didn't want to play,” Ruf said.

“When I saw that (Showalter) was the manager for the Mets, I told people they’re gonna have a good manager and they’re gonna contend and look where they’re at right now,” Givens said.

With 59 games remaining for the Mets and New York clinging to a 2.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves, every game from here on out matters that much more.

That’s especially true for the upcoming five-game series against the Braves starting on Thursday, where the Mets can really distance themselves from the reigning World Series champions or allow them to take their first division lead of the season.

Whatever happens, the Mets are in a position to make the playoffs and are poised to make a deep run, and Ruf and Givens give them an even better shot at doing so.

“The last few months of the season are really fun because you see the division races coming down to the last few games of the season and where every game is extremely important,” Ruf said. “So it’ll be a lot of fun.”