The future arrived ahead of schedule.
The Mets, Cubs and Astros all were deliberate in rebuilding, lowering payrolls and expectations while elevating their young talent bases. They sold out today, promising a better tomorrow.
And that tomorrow really was not supposed to be until next year. All three organizations thought they could be improved in 2015, but that serial contention would be embarked upon in 2016.
But a funny thing happened on the way to 2016.
For the Mets, it was having the Nationals defy expectations — and not in a good way — opening a door atop the NL East.