As you’ve probably picked up on by now, I’m not one to give up on a season too early.

But last season never got a lot of traction.

If you were to ask me when things started looking bleak for the 2023 Mets, I would have told you June 2nd through the 8th was the point of no return.

But there were certainly earlier indications.

There was a rough series April 3 through 5.

Sunday, April 9 was the first time I saw in person a lackadaisical effort.

The Mets won on April 19, but it was a real punch in the face.

And Thursday, May 4 was also tough to take.

That June stretch was tough because it came shortly after the first inspired effort of the season by the Mets - a very exciting three-game sweep at home against Cleveland that featured some come-from-behind efforts, strong pitching, and it looked like things were starting to turn after a sweep of Philadelphia to close out May.

The next weekend, the June dates in question, the Mets were swept by the Blue Jays, and followed that up with a sweep by Atlanta. They looked every bit as uninspired in those losses as they did inspired against Cleveland.

That’s probably the point it became clear they were more likely to be sellers than buyers come the trade deadline. They went from 30-27 to 30-33 and never got to .500 again the rest of the season.

But, as I said, there were other clues earlier. That April 9th game was my first in-person game and I saw the first of, unofficial count, 100 Carlos Carrasco starts and it was clear he was not going to be effective in 2023. Starling Marte got hurt sliding into third base so he added a head injury to his already-existing groin injury, and the Mets lost 7-2 to Miami.

(For the record, I like Carlos Carrasco and wish him the best in Cleveland, I hope he finishes his career strong back with his original team…but I am glad I won’t have to see another one of his starts at Citi Field.)

April 19, that win, was an afternoon in Los Angeles when Max Scherzer got thrown out of the game for sticky stuff and it seemed like everyone had it in for the Mets. Even after the Mets won the game it seemed like a win that could build momentum…and it didn’t.

But those other two dates I mentioned really seemed to expose the Mets.

April 3 through April 5 the Mets were in Milwaukee and just got their butts kicked. 10-0, 9-0, and then in what felt as ‘must win’ as any April 5 game can possibly feel, they lost 7-6 on a walkoff homer.

And then on May 4 the lowly Tigers finished off a 3-game sweep of the Mets in Detroit that felt even worse because Brandon Nimmo was caught stealing in the 9th inning to kill any chance at a comeback. He didn’t try to steal another base until the trade deadline.

So why am I dredging all of this up now, when I’m feeling so positive about 2024 (especially with the addition of J.D. Martinez[!] which we’ll certainly spend more time on at another time)?

Well, the early part of the Mets season is interesting. April is pictured above - not pictured is the season-opening series that closes out March.

The Mets open up against Milwaukee. Then they play Detroit.

In the second week of the season they go to Atlanta.

And shortly after that is a trip to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers.

That’s a lot of games early against teams that helped ruin 2023.

The Mets have an interesting early schedule. Jayson Stark wrote about this a couple of months ago or so: Because the Mets go to London in June and fly a bunch of miles that other teams don’t have to deal with, the schedule makers surrounded that trip with a lot of home games and a trip only to Washington.

So early in the season they have the likes of Milwaukee and Detroit and Pittsburgh…and a west coast swing through LA and San Francisco.

So the Mets have the opportunity to exorcise some recent demons when they open up the 2024 season.

And at the very least, based on the schedule that first month of the season, with games against NL contenders like the Giants, Dodgers, Braves, Cardinals, and Cubs, by the end of April we should have a pretty good idea of what kind of team the 2024 Mets will be.

Fun Scheduling Note: My daughters and I were looking at the schedule to see if we should try to go to the Mets game on Father’s Day, like we did last year. Turns out they’re going to a concert the night before so it is unlikely we’ll make a trip to Queens the next day. (Maybe I’ll go with my dad.)

BUT the fun note is this: They pointed out on Father’s Day the Mets play the “Padres,” which is funny.

Fun Blogging Note: I think I might do a live blog on Opening Day. Those were always a fun part of my Mets writing back in the day, so why not capture the excitement of a Mets Opening Day at Citi Field in real time on Thursday.

I should note that it is increasingly looking like rain on Thursday…and Friday. Maybe it’ll hold off until later on Thursday. If it rains, I am in a bit of a fix. I will not be able to watch on Friday, so I’ll probably only be able to listen on the radio and I will not be able to do a live blog. I’ll certainly let you know what I end up doing.