How these Mets remind us of a team on the cusp of a breakthrough

A team of young stars establishing themselves with quality veterans mixed in. A group that fell short of the postseason, yet left fans feeling optimistic about the future. A season that set up a huge offseason and a breakthrough year to follow.

This was the 2005 Mets. It may also wind up being the 2024 Mets.

Mets fans look back fondly at that 2005 season because of what followed, the 2006 NL East championship team that came within a big hit of the World Series.

This team has a similar feel.

The Mets (66-61) almost certainly aren’t going to win the World Series. They still are two games behind the Braves in the loss column for the third and final NL wild card. A challenging 10-game road trip awaits them in San Diego, Arizona and Chicago. Their playoff hopes could be all but dashed when it is complete.

But even if the Mets don’t make the playoffs, there are a lot of reasons for optimism, much as there were in 2005 when David Wright and Jose Reyes were making names for themselves and Carlos Beltran was the big offseason addition finding his way in his first year as a Met.

Young players such as Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez, José Buttó and David Peterson aren’t Wright or Reyes, but they are showing the Mets there are reasons to be excited about the future for different reasons. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo are entrenched as linchpins. Pete Alonso’s future is uncertain, one of many questions for the offseason.

As was the case after 2005, when the Mets traded for Carlos Delgado, this team will need upgrades to be a legit contender next year.

Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes are among those expected to be major targets in free agency. Brandon Sproat, the top prospect in a much improved farm system, could be in the rotation. Kodai Senga could be back on the mound after making just one start all year.

Already, the Mets have given their fans more than what was expected, particularly after that dreadful 22-33 start.

They have cooled off considerably after a two-month stretch as one of the best teams in baseball, going 9-10 this month. But the Mets have shown resilience and grit, something that was missing during last year’s 75-win flop. They just took two out of three at home from the playoff-bound Orioles, giving them needed momentum entering this treacherous seven-game stretch against the scalding Padres and Diamondbacks.

Some Mets fans believe they should’ve sold at the trade deadline, because this team isn’t a true title contender. I couldn’t disagree more.

It’s important for the overall health of the franchise to be involved in a postseason race. It sure is good for young players to experience it. It sets a foundation for future years, that winning is expected and losing isn’t acceptable. I felt David Stearns took the right path, finding upgrades without giving up a lot in return.

Reliever Phil Maton and starter Paul Blackburn mostly have performed well. Outfielder Jesse Winker got his first big hit on Wednesday, a walk-off homer that could spark him.

The 2005 Mets finished in third place and won 83 games. The current Mets may have a similar fate, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Today’s back page

Yankees catching conundrum

When Jose Trevino starts on Thursday, as expected, it will mark four times in a six-game span the Yankees have begun a game with their third-best offensive player on the bench.

Austin Wells was never going to play every day — that just doesn’t happen with catchers — but since Trevino came off the injured list, the young backstop has seen his playing time cut significantly.

It is a small sample size, and part of the reason is Gerrit Cole — who is said to be fond of throwing to Trevino — will have started twice in that span, but the trend shouldn’t continue.

The Yankees can’t afford to keep Wells’ potent bat on the bench, not when you consider how little production they are getting from their lineup other than Juan Soto and Aaron Judge — though it sufficed Wednesday night as Judge homered twice (upping his total to 47) and Soto had five RBIs in an 8-1 win over the Guardians.

The 25-year-old Wells is having a strong season, slashing .254/.343/.419 with a .762 OPS after Wednesday’s 1-for-4. He has 24 extra-base hits and nine home runs in 260 at-bats.

But those numbers don’t even accurately account for how impactful Wells has been of late. Since May 24, a span of 57 games and 45 starts, Wells has an .842 OPS, a .281 batting average and eight homers.

Trevino, meanwhile, has a .725 OPS and 13 extra-base hits in 173 at-bats overall.

Wells is also better at shutting down the running game, throwing out 25 percent of would-be base stealers. Trevino is at 22 percent. Wells has 3.0 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) according to FanGraphs, fourth on the Yankees among everyday players behind Judge, Soto and Anthony Volpe. Trevino is at 2.1.

Though manager Aaron Boone has said he’s “totally comfortable” starting Wells against left-handers, he added he could employ a loose platoon down the stretch.

Wells, it should be noted, only has a .529 OPS against southpaws. But he’s had just 50 plate appearances against them. And it’s not as if Trevino mashes lefties — he has a .712 OPS when facing them.

It was one thing to sit Wells on Sunday night against Tigers ace lefty Tarik Skubal. It made no sense for him not to play Tuesday against Guardians lefty Matthew Boyd.

With every game meaning so much, the Yankees need their most productive players on the field. Wells is clearly one of them.

Empty calories

The third preseason game used to mean something around here.

The annual Jets-Giants clash at one time held significance. There were bragging rights. Starters would play at least a half. It was a dress rehearsal for the real games.

Now, it is irrelevant, much like the entire preseason slate for the most part. Starters rarely get in the game, yet most fans still have to pay plenty as part of their season-ticket packages. You can’t purchase Jets season tickets without the increasingly meaningless exhibition games.

Joint practices have led coaches to avoid using starters in games. It’s hard to argue the logic of getting in reps during a less risky controlled setting and letting unimportant players take the field for the games that don’t count.

And if that is going to be the case, the league really should cut down on the preseason. It has never mattered less.

Prospect of the day

Drew Gilbert put off all of his tools on display on Wednesday.

The Mets outfield prospect, who was sidelined for more than three months earlier this season, took former big league reliever Erasmo Ramirez deep for his second homer of the year as part of a two-hit night for Triple-A Syracuse.