We’re almost three full months into the season and the Mets find themselves in an interesting situation – just 2.5 games out of first place in the NL East. Not many people predicted that the Mets would be in this position – maybe the hardest of the die hard fans, but that’s about it.  It’s time to start believing the Mets have a shot in this thing.  They find themselves in the heat of a pennant race and have accomplished this with Jason Bay on the DL, and Ike Davis hitting like Sammy Davis.  Actually, I think Sammy Davis had more hits.  But if the Mets want to stay in the race they will have to add pieces before the trade deadline.  If they are serious about being competitors they will be “buyers.”

The Mets can’t rely on the fact that the Phillies will continue to dwell in the cellar.  They should be getting Chase Utley and Ryan Howard back soon, and that is better than any mid-season pickups a team can make.  The scary thought is that they kept within five games of the NL leader with these guys out.  The Phillies will be in the mix at the end of the year.  The Braves aren’t going anywhere.  They aren’t the Braves I grew up watching, but they’re always a thorn in the Mets’ paw.  The Marlins have the talent to win that division, and can still run away with it if they start playing up to potential.  The same thing goes for the Nationals.  The only team playing above expectations right now is the Mets.  The questions is, can they keep this up all year?

Most people will agree that the Mets will have to make some moves this year in order to remain competitive.  To expect them to keep outplaying their talent is unfair to them.  In fact, all the injuries the Mets suffered early on this season may end up paying dividends in the coming months.  They may actually have some trade bait after promoting players from their farm systems who showed they can play at the major league level.  That’s something the Mets hadn’t had for awhile…trade bait.  The Mets have to dangle some of these guys out there to try and get another solid bat in the lineup.

We will know soon enough if the Mets are serious about being contenders this year, or if they’re just riding this wave of success and teasing the fan base.  The NL East is a very win-able division this year and the Mets should definitely take advantage of the situation that has presented itself.  After all the ridicule, and question marks the Mets had at the beginning of the year, if they were to win the NL East in 2012 it would truly be Amazin.’