The regular season is winding down, and the Mets aren't playing like their games don't matter. Even though the season essentially ended when they lost 12 games in a row in April, the arrival of Andy Green as interim skipper appears to have been a turning point for their year.The Mets have gone 29-30 since Green succeeded Carlos Mendoza but have played notably better of late, going 23-20 in their past 43 games entering their weekend set against the San Francisco Giants. With a lot of questions to answer before the 2027 campaign, there are a lot of worse scenarios for the Mets than finding a way to finish strong.There is certainly a sense of professional pride in finding a way to go at least 10-13 over the next 23 games, which would ensure the Mets avoid 90 losses, a mark they haven't reached since going 70-92 in 2017. Finishing strong would also help the Mets' young core establish some momentum heading into 2027, which could set them up for a better year.Mets must end 2026 on a high noteThe Mets should take every opportunity to win a baseball game, as shaking off the malaise that hung over the franchise for a calendar year would be great. Past precedent also demonstrates that teams that finish a lost year strong can have significant success in the following season, with this year's Braves as a perfect example.The 2026 season was a disaster for Atlanta, which started 0-7 and wound up in fourth place in the National League East with a record of 76-86. The last two months were much more competitive for the Braves, who went 30-24 between August and September and are now poised to win the division this year, when they had a much better run of health.The Mets should take a page out of their NL East rival's book after seeing how a strong finish to the 2025 season benefited the Braves. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectAnother notable recent example comes from the Royals, who followed up a 106-loss campaign in 2023 with a 30-win improvement in 2024 to snag an American League Wild Card spot. Although they did make some notable additions in that offseason, the Royals did go 15-12 over their final 27 games of 2023 to hint at a potential turnaround.President of Baseball Operations David Stearns is expected to be active this offseason to try to fill some of the Mets' holes to make up ground in a competitive National League. Seeing this group continue to demonstrate good habits, especially during a stretch run loaded with playoff contenders, is a big positive as the Mets are showing they may be poised to have a down year before rebounding into a postseason contender.Get Mets On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow