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The New York Mets haven’t clinched yet, but it’s fair to start realistically thinking about the playoffs. All along, the mission was to earn any playoff berth they could get. Home field advantage is great. What hasn’t always been the most useful for MLB playoffs teams is the bye.
If the Mets are able to seal the deal, they’re likely to head to the West Coast to face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers or San Diego Padres. The former is the more realistic scenario with the Dodgers long entrenched in the number 3 seed and the Padres needing an extreme finish (good or bad) to move out of the number 5 spot which would have them heading to Wrigley Field.
The Mets won’t have a choice as to where they play. What can be decided is who they bring with them. These three don’t appear like they’ll get an invitation.
1) Kodai Senga
Kodai Senga did the right thing by accepting a minor league assignment. A good first start and horrible second should have the team thinking twice about including him on their playoff roster. If they’re not confident he can start a game for them, Senga shouldn’t be anywhere near the team in the playoffs other than in a light hoodie where he can enjoy the pleasant Southern California weather in early autumn.
Unlike other Mets pitchers who’ve been more trustworthy or capable in different roles, Senga’s “creature of habit” quality should have him remaining exclusively as a starting pitcher. Maybe we can discuss further if the Mets make it beyond the first round. Right now, the Mets would be playing with fire if they carried him along with a real expectation he’d be unavailable to do much more than get them a few outs before we all hold our breath.
The Mets boldly placed Senga on their NLDS and NLCS roster last year with debatable results. This season has been much different than last when he appeared in just one regular season game. The ultimate Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde campaign should have this typically cautious ball club keeping to that same conservative approach.