Mets, Phils on opposite paths since '07

The question posed by a Phillies official this week seemed innocent enough, but spoke volumes about the gulf that now separates one of baseball's premier franchises from its hapless rival to the north.

"Are they going to re-sign Jose Reyes?" the person said. "I mean, they're still the New York Mets, right?"

That's what it says across the front of the blue-and-orange uniforms, even if many of the players these days have been imported from Triple-A Buffalo. Who could blame the Phillies if they barely recognized this current incarnation of the Mets, a team that has been in steady decline since the historic collapse of 2007.

That September was supposed to cement the Mets as a rising power, ready again to challenge a city's decade-long fixation on the Yankees. Instead, they blew a seven-game lead over the Phillies with 17 games left to play and the balance of power between the two NL East rivals has never been the same since.

The Phillies are well on their way to a fifth straight division title this season, have been to the World Series twice since overtaking the Mets in 2007 -- winning it the following year -- and are the favorites to get there again this October.

This is not all about money, either. It has more to do with momentum, and the Phillies are riding a wave now that has shown no signs of slowing down soon. As for the Mets, it's a daily battle of inertia, and if anything, they are trying to avoid sliding further backward.

That was forced down the Mets' throats again this week after being outscored 19-4 in the first two losses at Citizens Bank Park. They were able to salvage the series finale, beating Kyle Kendrick, in a face-saving victory that trimmed the Mets' deficit to 22 1/2 games.

The Phillies -- with their blend of homegrown talent, free-agent acquisitions and timely trades -- are the team everyone wants to be. Four years ago, that was the Mets.

"You look at that team up and down, and there's a reason why they've got the best record in baseball," David Wright said. "It's not about contending for the playoffs for them. It's the World Series or bust. Obviously they're headed in the right direction, and the only way to have that consistency is to win.

"Once you establish that consistency, then you start having players that want to go there -- even if it's for less money -- and that has a snowball effect. Once you make a couple good signings, a couple good trades, you win, and then the system recruits itself."

Wright was reminded of that Monday against Cliff Lee, who passed on the Yankees' blank check to return to Philadelphia, and all series long by Hunter Pence, the deadline-deal acquisition from Houston.

The Mets also had to contend with two twenty-somethings in Vance Worley and John Mayberry Jr., a pair of Lehigh Valley products who have made a surprising impact this season. Worley, just 23, has been allowed to mature at the back end of a rotation that includes Roy Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.

"It allows you to develop your players," Terry Collins said, "and gives them a chance timetable-wise to develop at the right speed, so you don't have to rush guys up here."

That's a luxury the Mets haven't had this season, and one they must try to resist going forward with pitchers Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, among others. Wright knows what it's like to have a franchise strapped to his shoulders, and as he sizes up the Mets' rebuilding plans, he knows it's not an overnight thing. "It's not just one big signing," Wright said. "It's a lot more than that. I don't think there's an organization that has subpar seasons, makes one or two free-agents signings and then all of a sudden snaps its fingers. I think it has to be a process. And I'm not talking just about us -- I'm talking about any team.

"The Phillies didn't go sign Raul Ibañez and all of a sudden they're winning a World Series. It's that snowball thing -- then you got guys that want to play for the Yankees, guys that want to play for the Phillies, the Red Sox. Without winning, you can't have that."