Chicago Cubs: Breaking down potential playoff opponents

Sep 7, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets second baseman

(55) high fives teammates after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets

One of the last remaining division races in the game is in the National League East includes the preseason-favorite Washington Nationals and the Mets, who haven’t reached the postseason in nearly 10 years.

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Obviously, what makes New York so dangerous is their young starting rotation that features the likes of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. The former has been surrounded by drama surrounding his recently-announced 180-inning limit that is still being worked out, but the talent in this staff is not debatable.

For years, it seems, the Mets have needed to make legitimate deadline moves – and this year, they finally did it, adding Yoenis Cespedes, among others, to the mix.

That has proven to be a game-changer for the team’s offense, which has seen its slash-line go from .233/.298/.363 in the first-half to .266/.335/.453 post-All-Star Break. In August, the Mets’ team OPS was above .800 – the first time this season they’d even eclipsed a mark higher than .671.

With a potent offense that includes Cespedes and a recently-returned David Wright, the Mets are a legitimate threat come October. For now, though, they have to survive a late-season push by the Nats if they want to reach the postseason.

Next: Washington Nationals