The fight for the NL's final wild-card spot just got interesting.
Sporting the second-largest payroll in baseball at $314 million, New York lost 6-2 to the eliminated Marlins on Friday night to drop to 82-78 on the year. That loss—combined with the Reds' 3-1 win over the Brewers—means the Mets no longer control their own destiny.
That's right. Elly De La Cruz and the Reds' $119 million payroll are now in the driver's seat. If Cincinnati beats Milwaukee again on Saturday and Sunday, it doesn't matter what the Mets do against Miami—the Reds would be heading to the postseason.gave the Mets a 78.1% chance to make the playoffs. But after the Mets' loss and the Reds' win, Cincinnati now has a 54.5% chance to make the postseason, and New York's odds slumped to 43.8%. The only other team in the running for the NL's third wild-card spot is the Diamondbacks, who open up a three-game series against the Padres on Friday night at Petco Park. Elsewhere in the National League, pretty much everything else is decided. The Brewers, Phillies and Dodgers have all been crowned division champs, while the Cubs and Padres will enter the postseason bracket as wild-card teams.Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
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