The New York Mets continue to lead the National League East. They are one of the better teams in baseball and are aiming to make a 2022 World Series run. However, they can't afford to take anything for granted. The National League is littered with talent. The Los Angeles Dodgers are MLB's best all-around team, the Atlanta Braves are the reigning champions, and the St. Louis Cardinals have heated up in recent weeks.

Do the Mets have what it takes to overcome these opponents? Does New York feature a fatal flaw?

1 Mets fatal flaw they must address ahead of 2022 MLB Playoffs

Home Runs

In some of our other fatal flaw articles, we discussed in-depth details about teams. We dove into the underlying causes why there was reason for concern. Those fatal flaws were not surface level.

But the Mets' fatal flaw is simply home runs on both side of the ball.

New York ranks 17th in home runs hit, and 14th in home runs allowed this year. Neither of those rankings are terrible by any means. But their mediocrity when it comes to the long ball has been an issue at times.

The primary reason it is a concern is because their best National League opponents, the Dodgers, Braves, and Cardinals, all rank within the top 10 in home runs hit. Atlanta is 2nd, LA is 5th, and St. Louis is 7th.

So those teams may quite literally be able to power their way to a series victory against the Mets in a playoff series. One may argue that the Mets' pitching staff will limit opponents' home run hitting ability.

But as aforementioned, New York is just 14th in terms of limiting home runs. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are 3rd, the Braves are 4th, and the Cardinals are tied for 6th.

Home runs may be the Mets kryptonite heading into the 2022 MLB playoffs.

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How can they address their fatal flaw?

There is not a quick fix to solve a home run problem.

Pitching wise, the team just needs to be careful when facing talented batters in a hitter's count. Instead of peppering a 2-0 heater down the middle, perhaps they should roll with a curve. And that is obviously just one simple example.

As for the offense, the Mets simply need to swing for the fence in hitter-friendly counts. They have a roster that features some pop. Pete Alonso is obviously a long ball threat. Francisco Lindor has power from the shortstop position. Mark Canha and Daniel Vogelbach are power threats.

However, this doesn't mean they should try and rely on the home run. But occasionally swinging for the fences when the time calls for it can pay off.

Final thoughts

In the end, the Mets' brand of baseball they have played all season long has worked. They are leading the NL East and expect to make noise in the postseason. And the truth of the matter is that they have been successful in most other statistical categories. With Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer leading the pitching staff, the Mets will be confident heading into the 2022 MLB playoffs.

But it will be interesting to see what kind of role the Mets' home run questions play down the road. It will be something to pay attention to in a postseason series. If the Mets can keep pace in the power department during the playoffs, it will go a long way for them.