If you're burying the Mets, you haven't looked at the crazy NL Wild Card standings

The New York Mets have dropped three straight to the Philadelphia Phillies and could’ve been looking at six consecutive losses versus their NL East rivals if not for a walk-off home run from Brandon Nimmo on Sunday. Times are dire. The team isn’t playing well at all.

As fans of other teams prepare to circle the Mets later this summer and pick the roster apart like vultures, the calmer folks among us need to only look at the crazy NL Wild Card standings for some levity.

Yes, a 19-23 record isn’t ideal. But because of those expanded playoffs, everyone but the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins are within 2.5 games of a postseason berth.

The Mets are a game out of a playoff spot right now, no seriously

The 22-24 San Diego Padres hold the third Wild Card spot with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals only behind in percentage points. Then there are the Mets followed by the San Francisco Giants. Three basement dwellers from the NL Central follow before getting to the Rockies who’ve suddenly won 7 straight.

Separation will eventually come between these teams. The balanced schedule should make sure of that. Thus far, the schedule has been anything but balanced. The Phillies have only played 3 games against a team with a record currently over .500, the Braves.

The Mets have their work cut out for them, but to grab a shovel is premature. The National League, as it typically is, includes some elite teams followed by a whole lot of average ones and finally a couple of complete duds. We’ll have more duds by the time we get to the end of the year, too.

Oddly, it’s these games against the Phillies and Braves that seem to matter least of all in 2024. Grabbing a couple of wins from them is great. In the long run, it’s beating the Wild Card competitors that’ll make the difference between playing in October or not.

The Mets have been dead for weeks in the NL East battle where the Phillies and Braves have a commanding lead. With one of the better run-differentials among those on the outside of the Wild Card at -9 behind only the +15 Arizona Diamondbacks and -3 Cincinnati Reds, the Mets are playing close to their record with an expected one of 20-22.

You might’ve lost a little bit of hope in the Mets over these last few games. Mathematically, they’re within spitting distance of looking much more relevant.