Sal says he was wrong about 2024 Mets, who look like a 'legitimate' playoff team

The Mets won another series, taking two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and Sal has officially bought back in on the 2024 season.

“The Mets are now, legitimately, a playoff team,” Sal said. “They’ve earned our attention…their lineup looks legit. Lindor isn’t only hitting, he’s coming up with big home runs. He looks like a superstar again.”

Still, Sunday’s game ended with Edwin Diaz being ejected following a sticky substance check, and is now facing a 10-game suspension. While Sal is back in on the Mets, he can’t help but lament the team losing its closer for a stretch just when things were starting to turn around.

“Who is closing games? I don’t trust Drew Smith,” Sal said. “He got the job done [Sunday], that’s great. He still stinks.

“We saw what this team was like without Edwin Diaz earlier. Now to have that again, why is it always something? Just when the momentum was starting to turn, this happens heading into an important Subway Series…the Mets don’t have their closer now.”

While the Mets don’t have their closer for a bit, they do have a season, and Sal admitted he was wrong about the team, while David Stearns and Steve Cohen were onto something when they declared that the Mets were playoff caliber.

“They believed in this team and stuck to what they believed…and now I’m with them,” Sal said. “I believe this is a playoff team.”