Most New York Mets fans would like the 2021 season to end as soon as possible.
Earlier in the summer, things were looking up, and the team looked like a lock to win the National League East.
Today, New York is two games under .500 at 61-63, and things couldn’t look any bleaker.
It has been another epic collapse for an organization that knows the feeling all too well.
Barring something crazy, the Mets are going to be home for the postseason.
Here’s why.
The Division Deficit Is Growing
With each passing day, the Mets’ deficit in the NL East is growing.
The Atlanta Braves are pulling away from the rest of the pack, and right now, seven full games separate Atlanta and New York.
For reference, the Mets had a 4.5-game lead in the division on July 31.
In less than a month, everything has come crashing down.
The team is 7-16 over its last 23 games.
It’s hard to comprehend how this happened so quickly.
Jacob deGrom Is Seemingly Lost For The Season
It’s tough for the Mets to right the ship without their best player.
The club currently has three starting pitchers on the 60-day IL, and Jacob deGrom, of course, is one of them.
He’s not expected to return this season.
There's a "99.9% chance" that Jacob deGrom is out for the rest of the season, per @ragazzoreport pic.twitter.com/QWty1qVKj1
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 19, 2021
Before hitting the shelf, deGrom was working on one of the best seasons for a starting pitcher in baseball history.
He had a 1.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP, and 0.55 FIP over 15 outings.
The righty allowed three earned runs or fewer in all 15 of his starts, and he allowed two earned runs or fewer in 14 of his 15 starts.
He also had a 5.2 WAR, meaning he was on pace to finish with an absolutely ridiculous 11.8 WAR had his season been injury-free.
It’s a shame the injury bug got in the way of his historic campaign.
He was a virtual lock to win the NL MVP and Cy Young awards.
The Remaining Schedule Is Going To Make It Too Tough To Overcome The Division Deficit
As if overcoming a seven-game deficit wasn’t daunting enough, the Mets have a ridiculous remaining schedule.
It’s the fifth-toughest remaining slate in all of baseball.
It features matchups with the Braves, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and other contending teams.
The only real hope for New York would be to get the division deficit down to three games or better going into the final series of the regular season.
Reason being, the club closes the year with a three-game set against Atlanta.
In theory, the Mets could use that series to close the gap.
But that seems very unlikely at this point.
Wrap-Up
Frustrations are at a high right now for folks within the Mets organization.
Owner Steve Cohen recently took to Twitter to voice his displeasure with the team’s performance.
It’s hard to understand how professional hitters can be this unproductive.The best teams have a more disciplined approach.The slugging and OPS numbers don’t lie.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) August 18, 2021
It’s probably safe to assume that Cohen and the rest of the Mets’ higher-ups will be very busy this offseason.
The organization has gone 34 years without a World Series title, and fans are beginning to question how long it will be until they see another one.
NEXT: Appreciating Jacob deGrom's Season Before Injuries