Mets Have Toughest Schedule To Start The Season

The 2020 MLB regular season is around the corner and the New York Mets will not have an easy transition into the shortened season, at least on paper. The Mets have the toughest schedule from the start the season through August 6 based their opponents’ 2019 successes.

The Amazins’ first 13 games will be against the Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals, three teams that combined for a .571 winning percentage in 2019. Rounding out the top-five for teams with the toughest schedule through August 6 (based on opponents’ winning percentages in 2019) are the Pittsburgh Pirates (.568), Toronto Blue Jays (.567), Arizona Diamondbacks (.560) and Seattle Mariners (.550).

The Mets open the 2020 season on July 24 against the Braves at Citi Field.

The Braves finished the 2019 regular season with a 97-65 record and as NL East champions. They later fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS.

The Braves received a grade of “B” from CBSSports.com for their offseason moves prior to MLB’s COVID-19 suspension. Those moves included losing 3B Josh Donaldson, gaining OF Marcell Ozuna, LHP Cole Hamels, 1B Yonder Alonso, C Travis d’Arnaud, RHP Felix Hernandez and LHP Will Smith and keeping C Tyler Flowers, RHP Darren O’Day, RHP Josh Tomlin and INF Adeiny Hechavarria.

However, things have changed since then and Atlanta is currently going through a rough patch at the moment. The team announced Saturday that Smith, 1B Freddie Freeman, RHP Touki Toussaint and INF Pete Kozma all tested positive for COVID-19. Furthermore, over the last few days Hernandez and OF Nick Markakis both announced that they have opted out of playing this season.

After the Mets open the season with a three-game home series against the Braves, they will continue with a four-game series against the Red Sox split between Fenway Park and Citi Field.

The Red Sox followed up their 2018 World Series championship season by finishing the 2019 regular season with an 84-78 record and in third place in the American League East.

The Red Sox received a grade of “F” from CBSSports.com for their pre-suspension offseason moves. Those moves included losing OF Mookie Betts and C Sandy Leon, gaining OF Alex Verdugo, SS Jeter Downs, C Connor Wong, RHP Adenys Bautista and Jose Peraza and keeping 1B Mitch Moreland and LHP Martin Perez. The grade also included the fact that manager Alex Cora was fired for his involvement in the Houston Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.

Boston also received some bad news right after the season’s suspension as LHP Chris Sale needed Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

The Red Sox were not impacted from the coronavirus as much as the Braves, but still had two of their players, LHP Darwinzon Hernandez and LHP Josh Taylor, test positive for the virus.

The Mets follow up their series with the Red Sox by facing the Braves again in a four-game series at Truist Park. After that they face the Nationals in a two-game series at Nationals Park.

The Nationals finished the 2019 regular season with a 93-69 record and made the playoffs via the top Wild Card spot. They then proceeded to claw their way to the top before taking down the Astros in Game 7 of the World Series to win their first championship in franchise history.

The Nationals received a grade of “B” from CBSSports.com for their pre-suspension offseason moves. Those moves included losing 3B Anthony Rendon, gaining RHP Will Harris, 1B/OF Eric Thames and INF Starlin Castro and keeping RHP Stephen Strasburg, INF Howie Kendrick, C Yan Gomes, RHP Daniel Hudson, INF Asdrubal Cabrera and 1B Ryan Zimmerman.

The Nationals have also been impacted in various ways by the coronavirus. The team announced on Sunday that two of their players have tested positive for COVID-19. Zimmerman and RHP Joe Ross also both opted out of the season on June 29. Furthermore, the Nationals suspended their workout on Monday as many of Friday’s test results have not yet come back.

On paper, the Mets will have the toughest start to the season based on their opponents’ combined 2019 records. However, when accounting for each of their opponents’ offseason moves/changes, the impact COVID-19 has had on each team and the rule changes due to the shortened season, anything can happen in these first 13 games.