One third of the way through the 2020 MLB season, the Mets are right in the middle of the very much in flux NL East.
The Miami Marlins are at the top after having played just 12 games due to a coronavirus outbreak, the Atlanta Braves are dealing with a rash of injuries, the Washington Nationals are underperforming, and the Philadelphia Phillies have a leaky bullpen.
With 40 games to go and the trade deadline just over two weeks away, here's where things stand with the Mets...
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PLAYOFF POSITION
If the season ended today, the Mets -- despite their mediocre 9-11 record -- would be in as the second wild card in the National League under the new format where two wild cards make it in addition to the top two teams in each division.
As things currently stand, the Marlins, Braves, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Dodgers are the top two teams in each division and would make it. The top wild card team would be the San Diego Padres, with the Mets the second wild card.
The Mets, if the season ended today, would face the Cubs (who have the best record in the NL) in the best-of-three round of the postseason with a spot in the NLDS on the line.
THE SCHEDULE SITUATION
Some things are totally backwards this season, such as the Marlins being in first place and the Baltimore Orioles being 10-7. But if you expect things to normalize somewhat, the Mets are past the most difficult portion of their schedule and have some easier games coming up.
The Mets have already played seven games against the Braves and six against the defending champion Nats, and will play 14 of their final 40 games against the Marlins, Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays. Another 10 games will be against the Phillies, who -- as noted above -- are having serious bullpen issues.
Again, everything is weird this season and nothing should be assumed. But the Marlins are playing with replacement players, the Orioles will almost certainly come down to earth, and the Blue Jays are 3-7 over their last 10 games. That could all bode well for the Mets.
THE INJURY SITUATION
The starting rotation is currently being held together with tape and glue, with the Mets without Noah Syndergaard for the season and Michael Wacha for the time being. Marcus Stroman wasn't injured, but he opted out due to the coronavirus, leading the Mets to make Robert Gsellman a starter.
In the bullpen, the Mets are fully healthy with the recent returns of Jared Hughes and Brad Brach from the coronavirus IL.
When it comes to their offense, they should get Robinson Cano back as soon as Friday and Jeff McNeil back soon after -- so the Mets are in very good shape there.
KEY PERFORMERS AND NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS
Pete Alonso has emerged from an early-season slump, David Peterson has helped hold the rotation together, and Edwin Diaz has rebounded to become a dominant late-inning option. Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Dominic Smith have also been tremendous.
What the Mets need now is for Steven Matz to recover from a string of brutal starts (where he may have been tipping his pitches), and for Wilson Ramos to start hitting. They also need Rick Porcello to keep pitching well after some early struggles and for Jeurys Familia and Dellin Betances to keep it up in the bullpen.
THE AWARD CHASE
Peterson and Andres Gimenez are early candidates for Rookie of the Year, and with Charlie Blackmon hitting hitting .472(!) with a .506 OBP and .681 SLG, he's the current MVP of the NL. None of the Mets need apply for consideration for that award at this point.
As far as the Cy Young chase goes, Jacob deGrom (2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 11.5 K/9 in four starts) has been great, but Trevor Bauer (0.93 ERA, 0.56 WHIP in three starts) is leading that battle for now.