3 biggest postseason threats to the Mets after the trade deadline

The New York Mets entered the trade deadline with the second-best record in the National League despite missing their best player, Jacob deGrom, for the entire season and without their key free agent signing Max Scherzer for seven weeks.

Even with an underwhelming trade deadline the Mets are well positioned to make a deep postseason run for the first time since 2015.

The Mets have the best starting rotation in baseball, the best closer in baseball in Edwin Diaz, and a lineup that is third in the National League and fifth in all of baseball in runs scored. That offense also got much better with the acquisitions of Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach replacing J.D. Davis and Dom Smith.

With all of the good that's come with this season, the Mets still have a lot of competition to go up against to try and win their sixth National League Pennant in franchise history.

3) Mets post trade deadline postseason threat: San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres made the splash of all splashes, acquiring Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals. The package was the biggest in baseball history and the Padres acquired a player in Soto who is on pace to be one of the best players ever.

The Padres' weakness was their offense, as Fernando Tatis Jr. has been out all season so the lineup has pretty much been average to below-average players surrounded by MVP candidate Manny Machado.

With the additions of Soto and Bell, the lineup becomes very formidable. A top four featuring Tatis Jr., Soto, Machado, and Bell is impossible to pitch to. The Padres did also acquire Brandon Drury who broke out in Cincinnati and will help lengthen their lineup.

The Padres also made arguably the second biggest splash of the deadline, acquiring Josh Hader from the Brewers in exchange for Trevor Rogers, Dinelson Lamet, and two prospects. Even with a very poor month of July in which he allowed 13 of the 16 runs he's given up all year, Hader is one of the best and most dominant closers we've ever seen.

The lineup got better, the bullpen got better, and the rotation didn't have to get better. Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have pitched like the aces they are this season. Sean Manaea has been a stable mid-rotation arm. Blake Snell and Mike Clevinger both returned from injuries and after slow starts have really picked it up in the last month or so.

The Padres are for real, and if the Mets run into them in October they are trouble. They took four of six from the Mets in the regular season and that's without Soto and Tatis. With the pitching they have, they match up against the Mets just about as well as anybody.