In one of his first major moves after purchasing the New York Mets in late 2020, Steve Cohen’s new baseball operations staff obtained shortstop Francisco Lindor along with pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a trade with Cleveland for four players.
Cohen subsequently signed Lindor to a 10-year, $341 million contract that turned controversial to Mets fans who booed him incessantly at Citi Field as he struggled through his first New York season when he hit .230 with 20 homers and 63 RBIs.
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Well, no one is complaining about that mega-deal now. Lindor’s two-run homer in the top of ninth Monday at Atlanta’s Truist Park put the Mets in the playoffs with an 8-7 win over the Braves in the first game of a makeup doubleheader.
He sat out the second game as the Braves clinched the other NL Wild Card spot with a 3-0 win. The Arizona Diamondbacks were eliminated. All three teams ended at 89-73, but the D-backs lost the tiebreakers.
The NL Wild Card matchups are now set: the Mets play the Brewers at Milwaukee, and the Braves heading to San Diego to play the Padres. Both best-of-three series open Tuesday.
The only chance for the D-backs was for one team to sweep the makeup doubleheader created by last week’s twin postponement when Hurricane Helene assaulted the Atlanta area. The D-backs gathered together in their clubhouse at Chase Field to watch the night cap, but as the game slipped away at the end the mood became somber.
“This really hurts,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said. “This is a very difficult situation we’re all trying to navigate through. You can’t really predict how a season is going to end and then you have to wait around all day just to find out.”
The Mets came from behind twice in the penultimate game of the regular season, from deficits of 3-0, and ultimately 7-6 with one out and no one on in the top of ninth. Starling Marte singled and Lindor followed with his 33rd homer of the season.
Closer Edwin Diaz, who gave up the lead in the eight, shut the Braves down in the ninth to nail down the win and playoff berth. Cohen signed Diaz to a five-year, $102 million contract in 2022—a record amount at the time for a relief pitcher.
“I’m going back out no matter what,” Diaz told Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. “I don’t care what you say, I’m going back out.”
The second game created the rare situation in which the Braves had everything to play for and the Mets had nothing except to relax and get ready for the playoffs. The…