Salfino: The Mets Aren’t Exactly Built to Last

and they certainly ain’t built for speed. Bottom Line: They ain’t built for comfort.

The New York Mets are off to the most cognitively dissonant start in baseball.

In the standings, they look like a contender. Entering Monday, they were a surprising 22-19. But on the stat sheet—and we’re not talking doctorate-level statistics here—they look overmatched. They’ve been outscored by 31 runs, the fifth-worst mark in baseball. Even the 15-25 Colorado Rockies (minus-27) have been better.

The Mets are on pace to finish 87-75 while being outscored by 122 runs. This would be a rather historic achievement: All-time, the worst run differential by a winning team belonged to the 1905 Detroit Tigers (minus-90), who went 79-74.

...Bottom line: The Mets could have a winning record this year. Or they could keep getting outscored like they are. But they can’t do both, based on over a century of history.