NEW YORK -- For as much as the Mets have struggled, for as much as they have turned the act of making the playoffs into a tenuous proposition, there’s still a notion around the league that no one wants to play them in October.

That may seem counterintuitive for a team like the Mets, who entered Monday’s play desperately clinging to the final National League Wild Card spot after losing eight of their previous nine games. Yet this is still one of the most expensive rosters ever constructed. It’s still a team featuring several veteran superstars in their primes, as well as one of the most intriguing rookie pitcher groups in the sport.

It’s still the type of team that can bludgeon opposing teams when everything is clicking, as it was Tuesday throughout an 8-3 win over the Padres . The Me

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