Go back to May 29th. The New York Mets lost 10-3 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. If you were paying attention to the Mets at the time, this was just confirmation of how much this Mets team just couldn’t compete.

Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo were just over the Mendoza line. They were still trying to keep Brett Baty afloat. The list goes on and on.

The Mets were 11 games under .500. They were 10 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the top Wild Card spot (11 in the loss column). For that matter, they were six games out of the last Wild Card.

There were nine teams ahead of the in the Wild Card standings. Truth be told, they were closer to last place in the league being just three games up on the Miami Marlins.

Everything has changed since then.

The Mets offense has started hitting like they should. They hold the final Wild Card spot, a half game behind the St. Louis Cardinals. They’re only 2.5 games back of the Braves (three in the loss column).

We’re now less than a week from the trade deadline, and the truth is the Mets are a better team than the Braves. Moreover, the Mets are poised to surpass the Braves.

This season, the Braves have lost Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider for the season. Recently, Max Fried and Ozzie Albies have landed on the IL with significant injured. Michael Harris II has a bad hamstring injury.

The Braves are decimated, and they are playing like a team that is. Over the first month plus of the season, they were 19-9, first place in the NL East.

Since May 1, they’re 35-36. They’ve dropped to second place in the division, 8.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

More than that, the Mets have significantly closed the gap. They’re only three up on them, and they’re getting Kodai Senga back. Their offense has been great, and they have more resources at their disposal to improve at the trade deadline.

When both teams are whole, the Braves are better. However, as things stand now, the Mets have the better team, and they’re playing better baseball.

The Mets are three games behind, but they’ve closed the gap considerably. They should continue charging and pass the Braves. The Mets should be hosting a Wild Card series this October.