Steve Sica- Do the Mets Have a Window?

                                                          Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

You hear about windows all the time in sports. The unofficial definition of them are a period of time where your team can be competitive. The "championship window" as they call it. A team has a certain amount of time to bring home a title, before age, free agency, or money begins to dismantle them.

Over the course of Met history, they've seen many windows open and close. 2015 seemed like the window would stay open for a decade. Young and exciting pitching staff, a solid farm system, and tons of controllable players. Alas, 2015 would be the high point of that "window" as after winning the National League pennant that year, the Mets wouldn't win another playoff series for nearly a decade, and with an entirely new cast of characters. 

The mid-2000's was a window that was slammed shut in 2009 once injuries and age caught up with that core group of players. 2006, was their high point, ending in the NLCS. The Mets haven't really capitalized on their "window" since the mid-80's when they won a title in 1986. Although, most would agree, the team should've won more championships, or at least made it to the playoffs a few more times.

Sports can be cruel. You have a sense of when your window opens. It's an exciting feeling, like when you first start dating someone. Everything seems exciting, and you think the possibilities are endless. Surely, this'll last a lifetime. When the window closes, it's often not with a bang but a whimper. As heartbreaking as the 2006 NLCS was, did anyone really think that that would be as close as that team would get to the World Series? Hindsight though, Adam Wainwright's curveball quietly shut the window on those mid-2000's Met teams.

Looking around the NL East, the team with the most obvious window is the Philadelphia Phillies. Their core has been together since 2022, but all of them are over 30 years old. They've consistently made the playoffs every year, but 2022 was still the furthest they got before losing to Houston in the World Series. It's why the Phillies', much like the Mets, have been in "win now" mode for the last half decade.

Speaking of the Mets, I don't know if they have a window anymore. They went ahead and sold off most of the their core this winter, and yet, brought back a fresh crop of equally as good returns. Their farm system is a top-five one in baseball, and they have an owner that's not afraid to spend seemingly endless amounts of money. 

Realistically, when a team trades off or let's go in free agency guys like Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo; on the surface, that's the signal of a rebuild, and we'll see you guys in a minimum five years before relevancy again. Not so with these Mets. They went out and traded prospects for top players in the game. The core might look different, but they're absolutely a competitive one, at least on paper. 

The 2026 Mets haven't even reported to St. Lucie yet, and they're already a fascinating team. They'll have an almost entirely new look than the team did last year. Usually, we would say it'll be a year of transition and maybe they'll flirt with .500. But this team is already predicted to make it to the playoffs. And why not? The lineup, pitching staff, while flawed, should be able to win 85 games and make a push for a Wild Card. 

The Steve Cohen era seems to have no intentions of letting "windows close". They simply, break the window and build a new one. I know we've all heard it before as Met fans. "Oh they have years of success coming" or "they'll get a chance again" But this feels different. Not because these Mets are better than their predecessors, but because ownership is willing to do what it takes to tear it down, but at the same time, build it right back up again, with no off years taking place.