It has been a rough ride for the Mets, one that looks eerily familiar to long-time Mets fans. The team has been clawing for postseason life, yet late-game collapses and a seven-game losing streak have made their September a gut-check stretch. And it takes us back to 2007.

That season, the Mets watched a seven-game division lead crumble in the final weeks, which led them to miss the playoffs heartbreakingly. That nightmare is coming back with every bullpen blow, making the current skid all the more haunting for fans. So when some of the Mets’ most iconic stars gathered for the first annual Alumni Classic, the timing could not have been more symbolic.

José Reyes, Carlos Beltrán, and Carlos Delgado — who traveled the journey with the team through heartbreak and triumph — delivered a blunt and passionate message. Beltrán, remembering 2007, urged today’s stars to shed all hesitation. “Just go for it. Don’t limit yourself. Don’t be timid. Just be aggressive. Be who you are. Think about what has put you in a position where you are today… Just go out there and play hard baseball, and if it’s meant to be, it’s going to be for you. If it’s not meant to be, at least you’re going to go down giving your best.”

Reyes, identified for his spark and energy, echoed the need to stay grounded in the tough period.

“The advice that I can give them now is to take it one game at a time,” the veteran noted. “They’ve been through some tough times, but whatever happened in the game yesterday, leave it there. Just focus on the game today and try to go from there,” he added. Then Delgado put it in perspective, reminding the team how fortunate the Mets still are to be in the playoff hunt.

“If you told me in February, by September 13, you are going to be holding a Wild Card spot, I’d take that any time. Just continue to play hard, don’t scoreboard watch, one day at a time, one at-bat at a time. Let’s win today… and give it all out for the next two weeks and hopefully for the next six weeks after that.”

For this team, battered by dwindling confidence, such advice serves as a warning and an inspiration. From Reyes, the current team can learn discipline, from Beltrán, they can get fearless aggression, and from Delgado, the Mets can take the power of perspective — a three-part formula that could very well decide whether this season ends in despair or redemption.

While the statement of the legends provides guidance from the past, the reality of the present paints a far more intricate picture.

The Mets are on the brink, with a pitching collapse overshadowing an offensive spark

Just six weeks ago, the Mets were a dominant force in the NL East, holding first place on August 2 and backed by an elite rotation. However, since then, the fall has been brutal.

The team’s pitching staff, once boasting a 3.38 ERA in the first half, has unraveled to a 5.10 ERA after the break, and it was the worst swing in MLB. Injuries to vital stars, inconsistency from Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea, and an overworked bullpen have left Carlos Mendoza scrambling for answers. With midseason adjustments like Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, and Gregory Soto, the team has allowed more than five runs per game across their last 39 contests, and this figure explains their slide better than anything else.

The cruel irony?

The Mets’ offense has finally found its stride with a rank of four in wRC+ and the offense runs scored in the second half. Juan Soto has played with his star punch, while Brett Baty and Mark Vientos have emerged as vital run-producers. Yet, all that production has been wasted by constant late-game meltdowns and defensive lapses.

Now clinging to the final NL Wild Card spot by a thin margin — just half a game ahead of the Giants and 1.5 games over the Reds — the team faces a demanding schedule that leaves no room for error. A $333 million roster was established to chase championships; however, without a sudden turnaround, it risks being remembered as MLB’s most expensive collapse.

The upcoming two weeks will decide whether this season becomes another cautionary tale or a story of resilience. The advice from the legends provides a blueprint — focus on today, play fearlessly, and remember the scope at hand. How it will be followed remains to be seen…