Mets' losing streak could mark end to playoff hopes

The New York Mets' playoff hopes may already be on life support.

The Mets lost their 10th consecutive game on Saturday, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Cubs. A three-run home run by pinch-hitter Carson Kelly in the bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference. 

That loss could also spell doom for the Mets' playoff hopes despite being in mid-April. ESPN's Jeff Passan noted that only four teams in MLB history had a losing streak of 10 or more games and still made the playoffs. The 1951 New York Giants, whose season was immortalized by Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World," were the only one of those four teams to have a 10+-game losing streak in April.

Recent history could give New York Mets a sliver of hope

It is worth noting that one of those four teams reached the postseason last year. The 2025 Guardians had a 10-game losing streak from June 26 through July 6 and were sellers at the trade deadline before an improbable run during the last six weeks of the season resulted in a playoff berth.

The Mets do have a key part of the lineup set to return as well. Outfielder Juan Soto has begun his running progression and is expected to return from the Injured List when the Mets begin their next homestand on April 21. His absence has left a tremendous hole in a lineup that struggled to score over the past two weeks.

The Mets will need all the help they can get as they look to buck history. However, unless something drastically changes soon, the Mets' playoff hopes may have already ended.