For the Mets, it is enough for now to reach the playoffs this year.
But in the grand scheme of things, it has to be a step in the first year of the partnership between Steve Cohen and David Stearns. The larger ideals they pursue are facing them this weekend at Citi Field and will stare them in the face in Atlanta over the next few days.
On Friday night, the Phillies beat the Mets 12-2 to clinch a playoff spot. Afterward, their staff celebrated in hushed tones. There was high anticipation that the large-scale champagne spraying marathon would coincide with their win of their first NL East title since 2011, which began Saturday at the Citi.
Still, it’s now clear that just being there isn’t enough. The Phillies have set their sights higher by reaching the playoffs for the third year in a row. After Friday’s decisive playoff game, manager Rob Thomson said: “That’s the standard. The goal is now firmly established: to win the World Series. And that’s it. And that’s a good feeling. Really.”
I asked Thomson to elaborate on the “standard” before Saturday’s game, and he explained, “It’s a mindset you bring to spring training — it’s not OK to just talk about getting over a .500 average or getting better or making positive changes. That’s not good enough. It’s just not. I always say that teams that get over .500 are good, that teams that make the playoffs are very good, but the team that wins the World Series is a great team. And we want to be great. Every year.”
Thomson said that approach was ingrained in him during his nearly three decades with the Yankees, mostly during a make-or-break period. Carlos Mendoza said his “standard” was also formed during more than 15 years with the Yankees.
“We know that we are in a tough league and that the league around us is getting better and better,” said Mendoza. “But the benchmark for us cannot simply be playing important games in September. We have to play in October – well into October. That has to be the benchmark.”
But they were small steps. The Phillies have been around since 1888, but this was only the third time they made the playoffs for at least three years in a row. The Mets, on the other hand, who were born in 1962, have never done that.
The Phillies were looking to end the Braves’ six-year reign as NL East champions. The Mets have won the division only six times in their history – once in the 1960s, once in the 1970s, twice in the 1980s, not once in the 1990s, once in the 2000s and once in the 2010s.
The Mets have won just two division titles since the Marlins joined the NL East in 1993, which is difficult since the Marlins – who have never won the division – would not have stood in their way.
The Mets are on the verge of making the playoffs for the second time in their history (1986 and 1988) in the same decade. But in 2022, they blew their chance to win the NL East when they were swept in the penultimate series of the season in Atlanta. Three games are looming in Atlanta in the penultimate series this year. The Braves are so outclassed due to injuries to star players that if they make it into the tournament this year, it will be partly thanks to their winning DNA.
The Mets are still trying to acquire that element, a trait that brings consistent excellence – and baseball in October.
“I think we’re 100 percent on the way there,” Mendoza said. “It starts with committed ownership. That’s what David and his baseball people are doing from the top all the way up to our academy in the Dominican Republic. We have great people with the goal of making this a first-class organization.”
One of the reasons the Braves and Phillies have become the gold standard is because they have built a sustainable, high-level core that the Mets still lack.
The Braves have done this largely with a strong farm system and shrewd trades by President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos. The Phillies have done this largely by being far more successful with high-priced free agents than any other organization. This is due to owner John Middleton’s willingness to support sizable payrolls and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski’s willingness to lead a group that has consistently selected the right players.
Cohen has shown he is willing to support record salaries. Stearns’ history in Milwaukee is one of doggedly finding talent that will get a club into October.
In the first year of their partnership, Cohen and Stearns hope to use the momentum of the past few months to help the Mets win a playoff round for the first time since participating in the 2015 World Series. But just participating would make this season a successful one for the franchise.
Then the standard must change.
