© Provided by Golf Digest The New York Mets are factors again. Yes, we know they've had a pretty good roster for a couple of years now. Yes, we realize they were in the World Series more recently than their crosstown rivals. But the reality is that until the offseason sale to billionaire owner Steve Cohen and the subsequent signings of big ticket guys like Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, the Mets were always hoping to overachieve. Now they're hoping not to underachieve. It's a subtle difference, but one that could prove to be a sea change for New York's lovable losers.
As you might expect, in the wake of the offseason revamp, many in the broader baseball community have started drinking the Flushing tap water. At the time of writing, DraftKings gives the Mets the fifth best World Series odds, tied with Atlanta Braves at +1000. Expectations haven't been this high since the early aughts, and from the looks of things down in Port St. Lucie this week, perhaps the Metropolitans are getting the cart before the horse.
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We're all for keeping things fun and light in spring training, but watching the 2021 Mets celebrate like it's 1986 (in March, no less) feels like a nasty voodoo curse waiting to happen. Mark our words: By September, you'll have seen this video again, and by then it will be at the Mets' expense.
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As with all things here on the internet, however, there is slightly more to the story. Manager Luis Rojas says the team was playing the "27-Outs Game," in which the defense attempts to the make 27 consecutive outs without recording an error. This was the 27th out and the team decided to ratchet up the stakes by pretending it was the final out of Game 7 of the World Series. Nothing we haven't done in the sandlot a million times. But still, with Opening Day about three weeks away, perhaps the Mets could be using their time a little more wisely, like, say, working on their NL Pennant celebrations. First things first, fellas.