It's Now or Never for the New York Mets

The New York Mets are entering a very important stretch in their schedule.

May 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) reacts after striking out in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets are still in striking distance of a Wild Card spot, thanks to ten teams in the NL being under .500. They can't hold on by a string forever, though.

MLB.com's David Leitch examined the teams entering 'pivotal stretches' for the 2024 season and New York found their way onto the list.

The Mets season has been defined by ups-and-downs. They started 2-6, worked their way to above .500 at 16-15 and now have fallen back to just 21-27.

As they continue to build their team around short-term contracts, the front office will need to decide if they want to buy at the deadline or sell off veteran trade chips.

There is still plenty of talent on this roster to compete with, but they just haven't gotten much out of it as of late.

Four-time All-Star Francisco Lindor is having a career-worst season at the plate. Even after a 2-for-5 day at the plate he's at just .198/.271/.349 for the season. He's still been a good defender, but that hasn't been enough to win games.

Digging into the numbers on his season a bit more, his xBA stands out. For the first time in his career, there is a huge discrepancy from his xBA (.263) and actual batting average. With most of his expected numbers around where they have been for most of his career, he should turn things around eventually. It may just be some bad luck.

One of the biggest decisions facing New York will be what to do with Pete Alonso. Do you keep him around past the trade deadline? Likely only if you expect to compete. If you're out of the race, trading him and getting some return before he hits unrestricted free agency will be the better move.

Edwin Diaz has given up seven runs over his last three outings and it is costing them games. He hasn't done much over his career to bring in a lot of doubt, so this recent stretch might also be some bad luck.

The next month of games will mean a lot for the Mets as they land on a plan for the rest of the year.