The Mets are 12 1/2 games behind the Braves in the nl east standings after finishing a 5-4 trip through Anaheim, Denver and Phoenix. They still have MLB's worst record at 15-25, a start that leaves them far from the division race and closer to chasing the wild card.
Tyler Kepner put the check-in this way: “It’s time for an MLB standings check at the quarter three-quarter pole.” He added, “If you haven’t paid much attention to the standings yet, that’s OK. But now’s a good time to start.”
Tyler Kepner's NL check
That update came after every team had played about a quarter of its schedule, which is why the Mets' place in the division matters now instead of later. Kepner wrote, “The Mets just won two out of three series out West, going 5-4 on their swing through Anaheim, Denver and Phoenix … and they lost a game in the standings.”
The record gives the trip a split result. The Mets won two of three series, but the gap with Atlanta widened to 12 1/2 games anyway, leaving little room for a division push while the season is still in its early stretch.
Braves gap, wild-card track
April 30 marked another turning point in the standings. When the Mets left Citi Field that day, they trailed by 11 1/2 games in the wild-card race; when they returned, that deficit had shrunk to eight.
That is the cleaner path for New York right now. The Mets were described as much better off in the wild-card standings than in the division race, and the 15-25 record keeps that reality in view even after the West Coast swing.
Other division races were tighter than the Mets' situation. The Pirates were five games behind the Cubs in the NL Central, the Rockies were one game behind the Giants in the NL West, the Orioles were nine games behind the Rays in the AL East and the White Sox were 1 1/2 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central.
The standings check also showed the A's with a 75 percent chance to make the postseason according to Baseball Reference. For the Mets, though, the clearest takeaway is already on the board: 12 1/2 games back in the NL East, with the wild-card chase offering the shorter route back into contention.
