With the World Series beginning tonight, Carlos Beltran and Curtis Granderson will be battling it out to win their first ever World Series ring.  This could be the last chance either player gets to win that elusive ring.

Between the two, it certainly looks like this will be Beltran’s last chance.  The 40 year old is coming off a season that saw him hit just .231/.283/.383 in 129 games.  During the season, his teammates jokingly buried his glove.  After the year, they may be cremating his bat as he has seen more and more of his at-bats go to Evan Gattis.  Once considered a sure thing in the postseason, he’s just 3-17 in this postseason including going 1-12 in the ALCS.

As for Granderson, you don’t know.  After just a dismal April, the slow starter began hitting again.  From May 1st until he was traded to the Dodgers, he was playing about as well as anyone hitting .263/.383/.570.  After becoming a Dodger, things were much different for Granderson.  In 36 games for the Dodgers, he hit a paltry .161/.288/.366.  In this postseason, he’s just 1-15 with an 0-7 in the NLCS.  Things have gotten to the point with him that there are actually calls for him to be left off the World Series roster in favor of Charlie Culberson.  Sure, this has something to do with Corey Seager‘s back injury, but still, many seem unaware of Granderson hitting three huge homers in the 2015 World Series.

Between the two, Beltran looks closer to the end than Granderson.  Whereas the decision may be all but made for Beltran, it appears Granderson will get to make the choice himself.  Still, as we know even if Granderson returns to play a 15th season at the age of 37, there is no guarantee he will ever get back to this point.

So this may very well be it for the both of them, and that’s a shame because both have been great players with Beltran likely being a future Hall of Famer.  Both were great Mets as well.  Beltran played at an MVP level for the Mets for many years, and he built his Hall of Fame case with the Mets.  He will go down as the best centerfielder in Mets history.

As for Granderson, he will go down as not just a very good player, but one of the finest human beings to ever wear a Major League uniform.  He’s the rare player that gets asked if he’s doing too much with his charitable endeavors.  In some ways, he played the Keith Hernandez type role with this current Mets core helping teach them how to be winners.

They both deserve rings, but in the end only one of them will get them.  All Mets fans should be thrilled for that player while feeling melancholy for the other.  No matter what happens both will forever be Mets, and both should forever be remembered fondly by Mets fans.