Unlikely World Series matchup inspires conflicting emotions in Mets fans

How do Mets fans feel about the Diamondbacks?

Feelings on Tommy Pham are complicated. The left fielder was superb for the Mets, and with an .820 OPS in 79 games before being traded, he was arguably their best hitter in the first half of the year. Never one to keep his feelings in, though, he blasted the Mets' work ethic after leaving, although he did make exceptions for Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and Brandon Nimmo. This rubbed many fans the wrong way, but with the way the team underperformed this year, it's hard to refute his point.

Sewald was a subpar reliever during his time in New York, but he's had a career revival since leaving the Mets (where have we heard that before?). It's a bit jarring to see him recording the final outs of a playoff series, but any lingering distaste for the former Met has dimmed over time.

No matter what happens in the World Series, Mets fans can all agree that although the season was a disappointing one, it could have been much worse if the Braves or the Phillies were scheduling a parade two weeks from now.

Both the Rangers and the Diamondbacks have exciting players that baseball fans have become more familiar with this postseason. Adolis Garcia of the Rangers has looked like the best hitter on the planet, while the Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll has shown flashes of why he's a lock to win National League Rookie of the Year. In Jordan Montgomery and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., each team has a player that we recently wrote about that could be a great fit on the Mets next year.

The Rangers are prohibitive favorites, but as we've seen this postseason, anything can, and will, happen. Sharing a town with the Yankees has long given the Mets an underdog persona, so in that respect, the pick would be the Diamondbacks.

Ultimately, most Mets fans will probably come down on the side of the players they like the best, or at this point, dislike the least. Jankowski and Sewald probably don't factor into the equation too much, nor does deGrom, since he's been hurt. That means it comes down to Pham vs. Scherzer. Pham wasn't in New York long, but he was better than even the most optimistic Mets fan could have hoped, and he correctly called out the failings of the team after he was traded away. Scherzer, whose arrival came with championship aspirations, ended his Mets tenure with a fizzle.

It felt good rooting for Arizona as they toppled the Phillies, and it would be nice to see Tommy Pham become a champion after a career of defying expectations. I have no ill will towards Scherzer, but neither do I love the idea of him hoisting the trophy while Steve Cohen is still paying him. Snakes alive, let's go Diamondbacks.