The Mets aren’t going to the playoffs this season, but they still have an opportunity to make the final few weeks a little more painful for the team across town.
The Yankees enter this weekend’s Subway Series at Yankee Stadium sitting 3.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East with only a few weeks remaining. Their postseason spot is in pretty good shape, but losing two or three games to the Mets could make their path toward another division title considerably more difficult.
The Yankees can’t afford a bad weekend
The Yankees have done a good job keeping themselves in the AL East race despite playing most of the summer without Aaron Judge. They are 84-62 entering the weekend and have gone 7-3 over their last 10 games, keeping Tampa Bay within reach.
Sep 8, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) at bat during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Judge is also back just in time for the Subway Series after missing more than three months with a rib injury. The Yankees have been careful with his workload since he returned, but he’s expected to be available Friday as they continue trying to chase down the Rays.
That makes every game pretty important right now.
The Yankees have enough separation in the Wild Card race that one bad series probably isn’t going to keep them out of October. However, there is a pretty big difference between winning the AL East and entering the postseason through the Wild Card, especially when every loss gives Tampa Bay another opportunity to create separation.
The Mets have nothing left to lose, which makes them a pretty annoying opponent to run into right now.
The Mets are playing their best baseball at the right time
The Mets enter the Bronx on a four-game winning streak after sweeping the Marlins in Miami, and they have won six of their last seven games. More importantly, the team looks completely different from the one that fell apart earlier in the season.
New York is 21-12 since the trade deadline despite selling off several veterans and giving more opportunities to younger players. Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have become everyday pieces, the young rotation has started taking shape and the bullpen has found some interesting arms along the way.
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Now that group gets a much different kind of test.
Francisco Lindor said the atmosphere at Yankee Stadium should feel somewhat like October, and that’s probably exactly what the Mets need right now. They’re not playing meaningful games because of their own playoff race, but they can still experience what those games feel like against a team that desperately needs to win them.
Playing spoiler gives this Subway Series some meaning
The Mets’ season obviously hasn’t gone how anyone wanted, and winning a few games against the Yankees isn’t going to change that.
But I also don’t think this weekend is meaningless.
Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton and Christian Scott are getting the entire series on the mound, while several of the Mets’ young position players will get their first real look at a hostile Yankee Stadium during a playoff race. That’s valuable experience for a team trying to figure out what its next competitive roster looks like.
There is also the obvious part.
If the Mets can walk into the Bronx and take two or three games from the Yankees while they’re chasing the Rays, Mets fans are going to enjoy every second of it.
The Yankees have much more to lose this weekend. That gives the Mets a chance to play loose, test their young core in an October-like environment and potentially make the AL East race a lot more difficult for their biggest rival.
For a team whose own playoff hopes disappeared months ago, that’s about as meaningful as a September series can get.