3 reasons the Mets should be taken seriously as World Series contenders

World Series talk in April? It’s like discussing the NFL Draft in December or the Avatar sequels a decade before they are released. Oh, wait. That happens. So please, excuse us for a moment while we wax poetic about how the New York Mets need to be taken seriously as World Series contenders.

1) The Mets star players haven’t even been the best contributors

Francisco Lindor may finally be coming out of his slump if he isn’t already. The highest paid player on the roster and one of the leaders in the clubhouse, the Mets should be failures if he’s not playing well.

Should be.

This hasn’t been the situation. Despite Lindor’s absence at the plate for much of the 2024 season, the Mets are rolling off victories. Brandon Nimmo is off to an atypical start to his year too, driving in a lot more runs than he’s actually scoring. This is in part due to the top and middle of the order’s inability to create runs themselves.

It hasn’t been a complete M.I.A. situation with the stars of the Mets. Pete Alonso is hammering home runs. Starling Marte, who many wrote off, looks like he has fully returned to form. His defense still stinks, but he’s hitting (and with power) plus running as much on the bases as anyone else.

Star power sells tickets. It’s contributions from some of the little guys who lead to a better winning percentage. There isn’t nearly enough time to credit them all. But frequent and regular big hits of late from DJ Stewart, Harrison Bader, and others are helping the Mets to mask the shortcomings of others.

Meanwhile, the bullpen has been as bulletproof as imaginable with Reed Garrett becoming the unsung hero in relief.

2) The Mets have prospect reinforcements we could see late in the year

If there’s one hesitation on my part to say the Mets don’t have what it takes to contend this year it’s the doubts about how far David Stearns is willing to go at the trade deadline. They were cautious in the offseason to trade away prospects. I don’t think they’d go the extra proverbial mile to make sure they land the best possible player this summer if the cost is too steep. This is far from an all-or-nothing season for the Mets.

They do have a solid backup plan. The timing of the MLB arrival for several of the organization’s better prospects could work out well. Rather than trade away youngsters, might the Mets look to promote several in the middle of the year?

On the pitching side of things, Christian Scott seems like the surest option to join the rotation if the need came about. Even as a multi-inning reliever for a couple of weeks or months could pay off for them.

At the plate, the Mets still have Mark Vientos demolishing baseballs in Triple-A. No longer technically a prospect, they could also turn to a player such as Luisangel Acuna for a part-time role to be a pair of legs off the bench. Acuna’s presence on the 40-man roster already should have him with the big league club no later than September 1 to pinch run.

Other names to watch include Drew Gilbert and Nate Lavender as well as anybody else in Triple-A. Let’s not discount the guys down in Double-A either. Someone, even a guy currently not on the radar, could always make that leap.

3) Two of the most important Mets players haven’t even gotten on the field yet

The Mets starting rotation was supposed to be anchored by Kodai Senga at the top. When he went onto the IL before a spring training game was played, many stuck a fork in the Mets. Cooked!

Then came the announcement that J.D. Martinez wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day. Some back soreness during his “ramp up” to join the MLB club had those same fools laughing. Who’s snickering now?

We haven’t even seen two of the most important members of the Mets roster this season. A step or two back for Senga for whatever reason is still a great asset to have. Martinez in the DH role gives them the kind of power we all desired they’d add. As good as the rotation of Stewart, Bader, and Tyrone Taylor have been sharing duties in the outfield and DH spot along with some rest for guys like Marte, it’s hard to deny what the presence of Martinez does for this lineup.

Senga won’t be back until late May at the earliest with June being more likely. Martinez could join the Mets as early as their next homestand. Will he do so coming off of a successful West Coast road trip?

In some ways the Mets are winning with potions. Their defense hasn’t been good. The starting pitching doesn’t go deep into games. They can’t throw out runners.

Nevertheless, they’re finding ways to win. It’s because the roster is a complete one. Take them seriously.

This article was originally published on risingapple.com as 3 reasons the Mets should be taken seriously as World Series contenders.