3 players or teams inadvertently helping to justify the path the current NY Mets path

Living through the 2026 New York Mets season was on nobody’s bucket list. A masterclass in underachievement, it’s going to be remembered as a transitional season that wasn’t meant to be.

Rather than go full steam ahead, the Mets had to slam on the brakes early and focus on the future. Now perceived as what’s best for the organization as a whole, especially after a fruitful trade deadline that has become more lopsided this week, there’s a feeling of optimism as opposed to trying hard to win and failing.

Recently, some players and teams around the league have inadvertently proven the pain of 2026 might have been worth it. The actions or results from this group would have potentially made things so much more worse for the Mets had New York followed their lead or had those players on the roster.

At least the Mets don’t have these problems, right?

1) Willson Contreras might have destroyed the Mets from within

Willson Contreras has been an outspoken member of the Boston Red Sox this year while also putting up monster numbers. His latest words coming after the club’s quick playoff exit sounded very much like what we would hear from a player unhappy with the way David Stearns operates.

Back when the Baltimore Orioles were playing the Mets in September, Rising Apple’s Pat Ragazoo wrote about the reasons why Contreras would have been the best option to replace Pete Alonso. Between the lines, he’s right. In the clubhouse, it doesn’t seem as if Contreras would have been quiet about the way the current regime does business.

The dynamics are different in Boston vs. Queens with Contreras already regarded as one of the veteran leaders of their club while he would have fallen behind some others in the home club dugout at Citi Field. Regardless, how messy would it have felt if the Mets had players openly talking like this? The current incarnation of the Mets at least tries to lock the bathroom door.

2) The Phillies suddenly look behind the Mets in terms of progress

It took the Philadelphia Phillies 162 games to get into the playoffs. Their reward was an extra three games, two losses. Who would you rather be right now? The Phillies are still the better team, but in terms of future outlook, it’s not so bright.

The story for them has now become how they need to change things up. Compared to the Mets often this year, the same as the Red Sox, they were a team who fired their manager early and benefitted. The Mets held onto Carlos Mendoza and stayed the same. Bigger picture, Philadelphia has been most guilty of not changing things up. The core has stayed relatively in place and they currently have an insane number of high-priced contracts on the books for several more years.

Sean Manaea and Aaron Nola are looking more like peers these days. Manaea is only under contract for one more season while Nola has four more years to go. Trea Turner is an older 34 and has 7 years to go on his deal. It’s not an ideal situation. Their fat contracts that never seem to end can make us more easily appreciate the Mets’ tendency to go short-term. At least there is a light at the end of every dark tunnel.

3) The Astros don’t even deserve to call themselves a playoff team

At 81-81, there’s no reason the Houston Astros should have been allowed to participate in the 2026 MLB playoffs. Someone had to come out of the AL West. The Texas Rangers were slightly worse and the Seattle Mariners were more 2026 Mets than they’d like to admit. The messiest division in MLB this past season, by rule, had to send someone.

It’s not a great scenario for the Astros who wasted another MVP-caliber year out of Yordan Alvarez. They’re inching toward him, Isaac Paredes, and Jeremy Pena all hitting free agency. It’s very likely we see them do what they have often done in the recent past and trade someone away this offseason. Sometimes it has worked, but it feels as if they are kind of stuck. They haven’t won a playoff game since reaching Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS. This club could be headed toward a bigger change than some realize.

It won’t be a complete tear down or darkest of times like it was in the early 2010s for Houston. However, the team’s supporters need to brace themselves for losing baseball ahead. They should look in the mirror and consider themselves as a non-playoff team two years in a row. The team’s 4.45 ERA ranked 24th this past season, indicating their biggest problem. The Chicago Cubs and White Sox, ranking 15th at 4.12, were the closest playoff teams to them. The starters, at 4.81, were the biggest problem. That number ranked 27th in MLB. Meanwhile, the Mets have Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton pitching to about a run or better per 9 in comparison. It’s essentially as if the Astros had a starting staff of Sean Manaea whose 4.78 ERA even better their average starter.

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