PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — David Wright didn’t know any better. He figured he’d be back again, and again, and again. He assumed that after reaching the brink of seizing pennant in 2006, the Mets would become fixtures in October.
“In my eyes, we were set up to be a perennial playoff team and a World Series contending team for a good chunk of time,” Wright said last week, during informal workouts leading up to the official start of spring training. “It didn’t work out that way.”
Back-to-back collapses. Financial calamity. Sustained mediocrity. Until last year’s renaissance and run to the National League pennant, this is how it worked out for nine long years.