Steve Sica- In a New York Minute...

Photo courtesy of The Source

Like that song by Don Henley says, "In a New York Minute, everything can change." 

That's the case for the Mets over the last week, who, after a 5-1 home stand, including a dramatic pair of wins over the Yankees in the Subway Series find themselves with new life. Still sitting at 21-26, the Mets showed signs of life for the first time all season this past week, and they're 11-5 in May. 

It has a lot of fans bringing up 2024 again and pointing to the 2019 Washington Nationals, who had the same record as the Mets at this point in the year, and went on to win the World Series. Is it realistic to expect the same from this year's Mets? Let's take a look at what could help the Mets get back into contention this season and what could hold them back from it.

The Good:

Home Cooking: 

The emergence of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing has been a much-needed breath of fresh air for this team. It's particularly sweet to watch homegrown Mets batters live up to their potential, albeit very early in their career, after the relative flop of the "Baby Mets" from a few years ago. Watching Benge, Ewing, and McLean become key parts of this team is encouraging to see, no matter how 2026 ends in the standings.

Superb Starting Pitching: 

The starting pitching staff has quietly been efficient. Ironic, because that's what did this team in late in the season last year. Christian Scott has rebounded nicely after spending nearly two years on the IL. Nolan McLean has looked just as good as last year, with only a few minor bumps in the road, and don't look now, but David Peterson is starting to look like he did in the first half of 2025, even though he comes in after a bullpen opener.

Six Playoff Spots: 

It's not 1990 anymore. It's not even 2010 anymore. Six out of 15 NL teams make the playoffs. Outside of maybe the Dodgers and Braves, no one is really running away with things in the National League. The Braves seem to be too far for the Mets to catch, but they're only seven games out of that last Wild Card spot with plenty more baseball left to play. They did the same thing in 2024 and in my opinion, that was a better class of teams they needed to hurdle over to get that last Wild Card seed. 

The Bad:

Bo Bichette: 

As the Mets march through May with an 11-5 record, none of that can be attributed to Bichette. It might sound cruel, but he's batting just .167 with an OPS of .504 this month. It's frustrating to see what was probably the Mets' biggest offensive signing in the Winter struggle so much in Spring. Even more perplexing is the fact that he finds himself at the top of the lineup and is becoming a rally killer late in the games.

Freddy Peralta: 

His 3.31 ERA doesn't tell the whole story. He's been consistent as a starter, but that's not what the Mets traded him for. He needs to be an ace, and he has yet to perform like one. While the Mets won in dramatic fashion on Sunday, Peralta surrendered six walks in five innings. His inability to go deep into games and really dominate an offense is concerning. What's worse is that if the Mets truly find themselves with an insurmountable mountain to climb back into the playoffs by July, his trade value is tanking with these inefficient starts.

Injuries: 

They've been with Francisco Lindor for nearly a month. Soto and Linder have played in just a handful of games together this season. To make matters worse, their best starter this season, Clay Holmes, just went down with a likely season-ending injury. That hurts on and off the field, as his trade value is non-existent. The Mets have been able to roll through May without falling any further behind than they are, but one look at their schedule in June and you have a feeling the other shoe might drop. If they can't get healthy by the summer, they might still find themselves on the outside, looking in by the trade deadline.