The Disappearance of the Mets (and How to Find Your New Favorite Team)

Adults, teens, kids, and toddlers celebrate Halloween, the holiday of horror, every October 31. Scary costumes and creepy decorations fill city streets with gloom, and terrifying stories are passed around. You might recognize the stories of “Frankenstein” and “Dracula,” but these are not the tales that scare children the most. There is one horror story that tops these two iconic pieces, and it lies within the baseball world. Kids and adults alike are traumatized, most even left in tears, when they hear about the disappearance of the New York Mets.

Mets fans have feared the month of October since 1986. It has never been a good month for the Mets, as it is closely connected with no postseason baseball, huge disappointments, and the disappearance of star players. The last time the Mets won their division, the NL East, was in 2015, which gave Mets fans a glimpse of World Series baseball. However, in typical Mets October fashion, they were crushed in five games. The team received a wild card spot in the postseason in 2016 but came up empty, losing 1-0. Ever since then, October has been a baseball-less month for Mets fans.

Enter the 2022 season. Following an ownership change, the Mets have the richest owner in MLB history, and it showed during the offseason. After acquiring superstar pitcher Max Scherzer, along with players like Starling Marte, Chris Bassitt, and Mark Canha, fans had something to look forward to. Thanks to comeback seasons from Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, and shutout closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets held the division lead for practically the entire season and made it to the postseason for the first time since 2016.

Just when things started looking up, the terrifying month of October kicked in. Right off the bat, the first days of October hosted a crucial three-game series against the Atlanta Braves that would decide who won the division, giving the winner a first-round bye in the postseason. The same offense and shutdown starting pitching that led the Mets to their playoff season did not show up to Atlanta, resulting in three straight losses.

Then there was the wild card series. The Mets went full Halloween mode, putting on different costumes and disappearing left and right. With Scherzer on the mound for the first game, fans were ecstatic and ready for postseason baseball, until he was torched by the Padres, giving up seven runs in only 4.2 innings. Perhaps a fan dressed as Scherzer for Halloween pitched that game. Game three was even more terrifying, because the entire team started disappearing. The Mets offense was nowhere to be found, with no trace of any of the players left behind. The Padres limited the Mets to a grand total of one hit and shut out the Mets, eliminating them from the postseason.

As a delusional lifelong Mets fan, I start to wonder, how much is too much? But I realized that just because the Mets’ postseason is over doesn’t mean that other teams’ are. There is still more baseball to watch, just not in the form of the New York Mets. If they’re allowed to disappear from fans in October, you’re allowed to disappear as a fan as well. This is why I’ve created a list of teams that are very likely not to disappoint their fans in the postseason and are great alternatives to rooting for the Mets. Are you tired of being a Mets fan? Join me.

New York Yankees

Still have that annoying Yankees-fan friend who texts you about the Mets’ failures? If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! If you’re looking to continue watching baseball games in-person, the Yankees are your best bet. They also have some of the most iconic baseball players and an outstanding history of winning. Why cheer for a team that has only won two World Series titles when you can cheer on one that has won 27? It might be time to consider joining the Bronx Bombers, since the Mets bomb their season every year.

Cleveland Guardians

Remember that blockbuster Lindor trade? Perhaps the Guardians received the better end of the deal. Former New York Met Andrés Giménez, along with a lineup of high-performing hitters and starting pitchers, has carried the team into the ALDS, further than what the Mets could reach in the postseason. The exciting young Cleveland team had a great postseason run and has a bright future for the years to come.

Los Angeles Dodgers

If you want a team that resembles the Mets, but with less of a disappointment factor, the Dodgers are a great pick. Similar to the Mets, they have a star-studded lineup and pitching rotation, with one of the richest owners in baseball. In the Dodgers’ case, good players actually correlate to winning games, even important ones. The 111-win team was able to come up with the best record in the MLB, a great bragging right.

Philadelphia Phillies

Missing Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard already? Disappointed in Jacob deGrom, Scherzer, and Bassitt? Reasonable. The Phillies are defying the odds this year. Unlike the Mets, the Phillies can actually beat the Braves, especially when it matters. Though they were pitched a no-hitter by the Mets and also blew a 7-1 lead to them, that was the regular season. The regular season doesn’t matter if the team can’t perform in the postseason, and the Phillies certainly can perform in the postseason.

Atlanta Braves & Houston Astros

Never mind.