Paul Articulates - Is this team good enough to compete next season?

The New York Mets are in the midst of a gauntlet run where they play four division leaders in a row, which is part of their post-all-star-break schedule - one of the toughest in MLB.  They did themselves no favors by performing so poorly out of the gate, and the later half of this season has just seemed like fulfillment of an obligation rather than an exciting push to the finish.

The team has played better this month, but as we saw in the series finale in Chicago and now in two games against the Brewers, they just don't always have the talent in the right places to compete with the best.  Sunday it was the lack of stamina in our latest closer Kodai Senga that allowed a walk-off on a pitch he doesn't throw when well rested.  Tuesday it was an unavailable Senga that necessitated an unfamiliar Austin Warren on the mound to start the ninth, where he quickly blew his first save opportunity.  Wednesday it was Robert Stock being dominated by a good hitting team.

The fans and the media seem to be giving the team a pass when these things happen because frankly, that potential win would not have changed anything when the team is this far back in the standings and this far below .500.  If the team were competing for a playoff spot as was projected earlier in the season, there would have been much less tolerance for these kind of things.

This leads me to today's question: "Is this team good enough to compete next season?"  My answer is simply, "No".  

We have made some strides with the experimental lineups this year.  An early promotion of AJ Ewing has discovered a legitimate star in the making.  A well deserved promotion has positioned Carson Benge as a definite star in the making.  A necessary call-up of Zack Thornton has identified a promising middle-of-the-rotation starter.  The opportunity for consistent playing time has proven that Jared Young is a deserving major leaguer.

But I also argue that those strides are not enough.  We cannot start a 36-year old second baseman next year with a .214 batting average.  We can't field a five pitcher rotation with only three guys that provide consistent results.  We can't compete in close games with closers that only show up some of the time and fail to dominate in others.  We also can't have a designated hitter position in the lineup that is manned by guys hitting under .200.  These are glaring problems that present barriers to success in any season regardless of how healthy the team is.

Some would argue that this team has the purchasing power to go out and fill all those holes in the off-season.  However, as we have seen in recent off-seasons, it is not just the big offer that wins in free agent acquisition.  It is the promise of success and the team environment that lures players to teams that are positioned to compete for championships.  They Mets have neither, as their reputation was severely damaged in the last two disappointing MLB seasons.  Adding fuel to the fire, it is likely that the collective bargaining agreement negotiations (if they are completed in time to hold the 2027 season) will limit the spending power of wealthier teams like the Mets.

If there is a salary cap, the Soto contract will go from a huge triumph to a huge boat anchor.  With big salaries promised in 2027 to guys like Lindor, Bichette, Polanco, and Roberts, the remaining slots on the 26-man roster will have to be constructed with controllable, minimum salary players and spin-the-wheel aged veterans that David Stearns has experimented with unsuccessfully over the past two seasons.

That is not enough to win, and that is not going to be acceptable to the New York fans or the New York media for another season.