Brother From Another Farm System

 

When the Rangers traded for Max Scherzer at last year's trade deadline, it was a move that, they felt, would ensure them an easier passage to the postseason, and give them an indefinite postseason starter. The person they dealt to New York in exchange for him was the kind of big piece that may not have had room in Texas, but wasn't as valuable to the Rangers as Scherzer. It is now a year later, and Scherzer has spent the majority of the season on the IL, as the Rangers have no shot of repeating as World Champions.

The guy they traded away, though...may still make the playoffs. And he may do it at the expense of his brother's team. Try explaining THAT to someone in April. Yes, an Acuña is gonna make the playoffs, but it's not RONALD Acuña...

The Mets, with less than a week to go in the regular season, have the thinnest of legs up on the Braves. Their current series with them has been postponed due to rain, and will be made up next Monday, so the season may literally come down to this doubleheader on what is now the very last day of the season, one day before the start of wild card series'. And it is between the Braves, who have lost their momentum, their best players, and much of their enthusiasm in general...and the New York Mets, who have been sent by Grimace the Magical Taste Bud to annihilate the rest of the MLB with their star third baseman, who literally no one ever thought would be a starting guy, and their infield bat who hadn't played in two years and has his own successful music career. Yeah, that's sensible. That's something you'd be able to predict. 

Oh yeah and Ronald Acuna's brother was the last piece to put the Mets over the edge. Of course he was.

Luisangel Acuña, in his first 10 games in the majors, is hitting .375 with 12 hits, 6 RBIs and 3 home runs. He nearly had another big hit last night, but it was robbed by an excellent Michael Harris II catch, followed by his older brother, from the sidelines, going, essentially, 'it's not my fault, you just tried hitting one to Money Mike'. Still, Acuña's early stuff has been proven fearsome, especially against the Philadelphia Phillies. It is bad enough sharing the division with one Acuña brother, but now there is suddenly another. Even better, Luisangel is succeeding as a New York Met, fulfilling his father's arc from 20 years ago, as a career minor leaguer stuck in double-A under the Mets umbrella. At last, an Acuña is working as a Met, and already seems to be a pretty nice addition to this roster. One must also think about the prospect of Acuña AND a healthy Ronny Mauricio boosting this lineup next year. 

The Mets have traded well, managed well, farmed well and planned well. Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo are walking away with excellent seasons, and people they sort of brought on without much thought, like Sean Manaea, Jose Iglesias, Luis Severino and Tyrone Taylor, have come through in major roles this year. And the momentum this team had midyear has returned in September, bringing them to this consequential moment. The Braves' doubleheader move has the potential to wreck everything, not only giving them two impromptu days off in the middle of a stretch run but cattycornering the last games to the immediate start of the playoffs. Even if the Mets win, the Braves want them to not have a single moment to enjoy it, which is a pretty villainous move, even if this is the Mets we're talking about. 

I think the Mets have the team to outrun inevitability, and keep themselves dignified for a while. But, of course, you can never tell with this team in October.

Coming Tomorrow- A versatile, defensively inclined outfielder hoping to fend off an attack from an errant underdog story.