Summary

There was no slow-motion crash down the standings like last season. The New York Mets , baseball's most disappointing team a year ago, started 2026 terribly, played poorly in the middle of the summer, then showed enough of a glimmer of hope late to make you wonder what could have been. For the second straight year, the team with baseball's second-highest payroll will be watching from home in October. The Mets were officially eliminated from postseason contention with Monday's loss to Pete Alonso's Baltimore Orioles .

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