This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When Mets’ season resumes Friday night at Citi Field, the team can revel in the simple fact that the first half is done and dusted.

Little went right for the Mets from March through mid-July, but the good news is this: they enter the second half just seven games out of National League Wild Card position, with their entire Opening Day rotation healthy. With that comes reason to believe their fortunes are about to turn.

The disclaimer is that nothing -- absolutely nothing -- will come easy. To be sure, the Mets have boxed themselves into a difficult spot. But the season is far from over for a team with 72 games yet to play. Here’s a look at what transpired and what’s still to come for the Mets:

What we learned in the first half: Money can’t buy success
It doesn’t hurt, of course, to have an owner as committed as Steve Cohen, but his efforts to build a competitor largely through free agency have fallen well short of the mark. Cohen has referred to it as a “bridge” strategy, (literally) buying the Mets time to build out their farm system while remaining competitive in the interim. Yet the owner’s nearly half-billion-dollar offseason spending spree, which ran the Mets’ 2023 payroll to a Major League record of around $375 million, has left them in fourth place at the All-Star break. Cohen can only hope his money buys more success in the second half. (He’s already begun using it as leverage in trades, as evidenced by the Eduardo Escobar and Trevor Gott deals.)

Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Mostly stand pat
The Mets have played themselves into a difficult position. Buying seems aggressive, considering this bunch was recently 10 games under .500 and has virtually no chance to win the NL East. The Mets are also reluctant to trade anything of value on the farm. But selling even minor parts feels like doing the team a disservice, considering the Mets possess the most expensive roster in Major League history, complete with enough talent to mount a realistic run at a Wild Card spot. Most likely, then, the Mets will do little at the Deadline, unless opportunities arise to improve the 2024 team without sacrificing competitiveness down the stretch.

Key players: Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander
The Mets will not go anywhere without significant help from their two likely Hall of Fame pitchers, who also happen to be two of the oldest players in the Majors. They battled injuries and struggled early this season, but both showed positive signs toward the end of the first half. Although things have hardly been perfect for the Mets this season, a healthy, productive pair of aces could vault them back into contention even if other factors don’t fall their way. And if the Mets do rally to make the playoffs, they’ll need both Scherzer and Verlander at their best.

Prospect to watch: Mike Vasil (No. 8)
With respect to Ronny Mauricio, who remains one of the most talented Mets prospects and a potential future star, a promotion of Vasil would likely have the biggest impact on the Major League team this season. It remains a long shot, considering the Futures Game participant has struggled a bit since his promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. But Vasil, unlike Mauricio, would not need an injury to force promotion. There’s little doubt he’s a future rotation piece for the Mets -- it’s just a matter of when.