2 Mets successes providing hope, 2 failures curbing our enthusiasm

Success and the 2024 New York Mets haven’t been linked together all that often. Even the most optimistic of fans needs to question whether or not this team truly has what it takes to do much at all. A summer of irrelevant baseball is the last thing fans would’ve signed up for after the heartbreak of 2023 when the highest paid team in MLB history fell short of expectations.

Only thanks to the existence of a third Wild Card spot are the Mets alive right now. Barely. They can’t waste any time, though. The Memorial Day checkpoint is creeping up and if the Mets fall further back, the summer is going to get longer.

Two of their season successes are providing fans with hope right now. Meanwhile, another pair is curbing any enthusiasm for the team.

The Mets bullpen has been exceptionally good despite Edwin Diaz’s struggles

One of the toughest things to do is build a good bullpen. As luck would have it, in a season where the Mets aren’t playing all that well, they have as complete of one as it can get. Wednesday’s loss aside, there aren’t too many examples where multiple relievers let the team down.

Despite Edwin Diaz’s fall early, the Mets have gotten huge contributions from multiple sources. Veterans Adam Ottavino and Jake Diekman have been good. Brooks Raley didn’t give up a run before landing on the IL. Drew Smith has also been good. You’d think just having those four would be enough. However, the Mets are getting a lot of quality innings from other unlikely sources.

Reed Garrett has been the biggest surprise. Meant to be a guy they’d move back and forth between the majors and minors, he is now one of the best choices to replace Diaz in the closer role. There’s also Jorge Lopez who signed with the team for just $2 million. He’s leading the team in appearances and has come up clutch several times.

A little further down the depth chart are pitchers like Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Walker. Those two have been just as good as anyone else.

An exceptionally good bullpen has, unfortunately, gone to a bit of waste. It’s because the offense is driving us nuts.