Mets Aim to Conquer NL East After Prolonged Drought
PORT ST. LUCIE – The New York Mets are setting their sights on winning the National League East division.
A division title is overdue for the Mets. Their history suggests a roughly once-a-decade cycle for division championships. The team last clinched the NL East in 2015, and prior to that in 2006. Historically, the franchise has been more accustomed to finishing at the bottom of the division than at the top.
Those two NL East titles represent the Mets’ entire haul since their 1988 victory. To put this into perspective:
Division Title Comparison Since 1993
- The Pittsburgh Pirates, despite not being in the NL East since 1993, have secured three division titles in the same period.
- The Washington Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos, boast four division titles since relocating to Washington in 2005.
- The Miami Marlins, who joined the division in 1993, have never won the NL East. Despite this, since 1993 the Mets still trail several divisional rivals:
- Atlanta Braves: 18 division titles
- Philadelphia Phillies: 7 division titles
- Washington Nationals: 4 division titles (or 5, including the Expos’ division lead during the 1994 strike-shortened season)
- New York Mets: 2 division titles
Nimmo Seeks First Division Title
Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured current Met, having joined the team in 2016, shares the frustration of Mets legends like Edgardo Alfonzo, Al Leiter, and Mike Piazza. He too has never experienced being part of a Mets division-winning team. “It’s definitely something that I want to try and accomplish,” Nimmo stated. “It’s something that’s eluded teams that I’ve been on. We have been in a pretty tough division, and we just haven’t been able to reach the top spot yet.”
Urgency for 2025
Why is winning the NL East in 2025 a critical objective for the Mets?