Cubs' dominance forced MLB insider Jeff Passan into an all-time Mets burn

It turns out, all the Chicago Cubs needed to turn their season around was to play the New York Mets. The Cubs have outscored the Mets 29-14 through the first three games of their series this week, but the ultimate low-point for New York may have happened on Wednesday night.

Initially, it looked like the Mets were going to get the upper hand over Shota Imanaga. After finding success in his previous two starts, Imanaga's struggles with the long ball returned. He served up back-to-back homers in the second inning, and the start had the makings of one where the wheels fall off.

Instead, Imanaga persevered, and the Cubs offense continued to find success. Of course, that wasn't whole story of the night cap. The Mets' defense was awful. For the first time since the 2014 season, the Mets committed six errors.

Things might be bad for the Cubs, but they are not the Mets

After teetering through nearly the first threee months of the season, Wednesday night felt like the loss that truly marked the point of no return for the Mets. Especially when, in the immediate aftermath, the Cubs were able to poach David Peterson from their pitching staff.

Adding insult to their incompetence, ESPN's Jeff Passan delivered a troll from the top rope.

After losing out on Kyle Tucker during the offseason, the Mets made a point of changing the culture of clubhouse. Out went Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil; and they were replaced with the likes of Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., Marcus Semien, and Jorge Polanco. The pitching staff also saw notable additions with the trade for Freddy Peralta, and signings of Luke Weaver and Devin Williams for the bullpen.

It was a curious direction for the Mets. In a vacuum, some of the moves they made, had some degree of sense. But, it was also clear there was probable chance that things were going to implode. Wednesday felt like the culmination of that expectation.

The next step for the Mets feels obvious. A fire sale is approaching, and the trade of Peterson could be the first indicator of that. It's a situation the Cubs will continue to monitor. Assuming the Cubs can continue to stack wins, Peralta remains an ideal trade target and someone who can be slotted at the top of the rotation.

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