Last night, the New York Mets stole the advantage in the first installment of the 2026 Subway Series. In what feels like the first bright spot of the season for the Queens faithful, the Mets tied the ballgame with a three-run homer from Tyrone Taylor in the 9th inning. Taylor, whose contract accounts for just over 1 percent of the Mets’ $352 million 2026 payroll, has seen an uptick in playing time due to injuries.

While injuries have certainly been an issue for the Mets to start the year, it would be wild to suggest that they are the biggest problem with this roster. Offseason additions Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco are combining for a meager six home runs so far this season. Compare that to the 59 combined home runs the trio hit the year prior, and you start to see where this offseason roster overhaul may have taken the Mets out of contention this year.

As a Mets fan, you have to find the beauty in dysfunction. Since Brett Baty, Francisco Alvarez, and Mark Vientos are now the centerpieces of the Mets lineup, the next wave of Baby Mets has started to emerge.

Carson Benge seems to have found a home hitting leadoff with Francisco Lindor sidelined until June, while A.J. Ewing cemented his spot on the New York hype train after becoming the first Met in franchise history to hit a triple in his major league debut. Nolan McLean has proved that he is this team’s ace.

The question is, is it over yet? The Mets are 20-26, and the division race seems to already be out of the question. However, the 2024 OMG mets were 20-25 this time 2 years ago. The Mets are currently +245 to make the playoffs this year on FanDuel.