Nearly 2,800 miles separate Petco Park from Citi Field, but it often felt as if the San Diego Padres and theNew York Mets were adjoined, connected — spiritually — through their expensive rosters and their disappointing outcomes, perceived cautionary tales by their sport's frugal owners.
This weekend, they seem very different. While the Mets are playing out the string with a stripped-down roster in Baltimore, the Padres are hosting their bitter rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in front of sold-out crowds in San Diego, holding on to faint hopes of catching them in the division.
The Padres and Mets each began this season with top-three payrolls and had posted identical 49-53 records as the MLB trade deadline approached.
On the morning of July 28, four days before the deadline, the Padres were 6½ games out of the final playoff spot in the National League and the Mets were a half-game behind them.