NEW YORK -- Over the final eight weeks of the regular season, the Mets rated as one of baseball's 10 best teams -- a modest accomplishment, perhaps, but enough to paper over the stain of all that came before.
A team built on its rotation thrived behind its second-half performance, from Jacob deGrom's routine dominance to Noah Syndergaard's shutout Sunday in a 1-0 season-ending win over the Marlins. Offensively, Michael Conforto broke out after the All-Star break. Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario established themselves as capable everyday players.