Have you listened to a song by The Strokes called Ode to the Mets? It has nothing to do with the New York Mets, baseball, or anything remotely close to MLB. But it is all about loving something unconditionally that continues to disappoint you. And honestly, this is the description that could have been written for the New York Mets fans and what they are feeling.

As of now, the Mets are for sure in a playoff position with four games left in the regular season. The odds are in their favor; their payroll towers over most of the other teams, and even now, Citi Field is buzzing with record-breaking crowds. On paper, there is so much to believe in, right? But when you watch this team play on the field, that optimism tastes like a Sour Patch. Since June 13, the Mets are 36-53, the fifth-worst record in the league over that stretch. What looked like the division favorite now is clinging to a one-game edge in the wild-card standings. And given that the Reds and ’D’backs hold the tiebreaker, it seems like the door to the playoffs is shutting on the Mets.

Wednesday’s 10-3 collapse of the team against the Chicago Cubs was embarrassing. Jonah Tong was tagged for five runs in two innings. The bullpen went through six games, and the offense didn’t do anything. For the team, this was another night of big L and frustration. As New York Post beat writer Mike Puma highlighted, “Yeah, the defense has been ugly here for a few games, but that’s only part of it right now. The biggest thing right now is the starting pitching. The Mets are getting in the hole early and having a tough time climbing out of it. We haven’t seen great defense from this team for most of the season, and that’s kind of the risk you take, especially when you put Vientos at third base to get his bat into the lineup.” 

And well, the numbers do tell something. Since July, the rotation has a 5.01 ERA, and opponents are hitting. 257, and that does tell the dire condition. The starters are not lasting, and runs are piling up, and the entire unit looks like batting practice, not playoff material. And outside of Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat, there is no one worthy of that trust by the fan base now. David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Clay Holmes—all have faltered since the summer. Plus, it is not helping that Mendoza simply is trusting Mark Vientos, when he has not been great at 3b. So as long as miscues keep happening, the downfall is guaranteed.

This Mets’ future star might still have to wait for a call

It’s been a rough time for the New York Mets, no doubt. But if there is one thing that’s keeping the team from collapsing, it’s the rookies. Strange, right? But Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat have been lifesavers of sorts. They have stepped into roles and done what veterans should have done to get the New York Mets to the postseason. But here is the twist—while these arms are giving hope, they are not the Mets’ top prospect.

The thing is that the spotlight belongs to the position players like Carson Benge and Jett Williams. Benge is, in fact, the No. 1 in the system, and Williams has been the talk of the town for over a year now. He is versatile and is taken as a future star. Given that, fans are, of course, asking, ‘Why not have the team give Jett a call now, given the Mets are fighting for their season?’

Jon Heyman, though, decided to pour cold water on all that talk. During a 24 Bleacher Reporter live stream, he said, “[The Mets] have five or six second basemen that seem to be ahead of [Luisangel Acuña], and I’m including Jett Williams…They’ve told me he’s not coming up, so I guess we’re not going to see Jett Williams. That to me seemed like an option.” He mentioned that Williams has not spent two weeks in Triple A and isn’t on the 40-man roster, so a postseason promotion seems less likely. Sure, technically, he could sneak onto the roster in case someone gets hit. But then don’t count on it.

It is a tough pill to swallow for the New York Mets, who are looking to hold on to any spark. For now, Williams is in orange and blue soon; it seems tough.