Atlanta Braves fans ridicule the New York Mets for scooping up struggling RHP Seth Elledge: “Picking up our scraps like always”

2022 looked to be the New York Mets' year. After their first 100+ win season since 1988, the team looked poised to easily unseat the Atlanta Braves as the divisional powerhouse.

However, the Braves completed a spectacular September, going 10-1 at their home field to close the gap on the Mets and win their fifth straight divisional title.

The 2022 postseason push represented the latest episode in the rivalry between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves that goes back generations.

The Mets underwhelmed fans massively after falling to the San Diego Padres in the 2022 NL Wild Card series. Predictably, the advent of the new season has not resulted in amends being pursued between the two teams.

"RHP Seth Elledge was claimed off waivers today by the New York Mets." - Atlanta Braves

On April 11, the New York Mets claimed right-hander Seth Elledge off of waivers from the Braves. Elledge, 26, appeared in 23 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and 2021, but has never taken the mound for the Braves in the regular season.

Atlanta Braves fans are smug about the idea that the New York Mets, who have the highest paid pitching staff in the MLB, have taken to signing someone as relatively unknown as Elledge.

Several comments came beneath the original post as Braves fans mocked their divisional foes. Common refrains referenced how the New York Mets are intent on mimicking what the Braves have done to be successful.

Although both teams had over 100 wins last season, the team that ended up making it farther than anyone else was the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite finishing in the Wild Card spot, the Phillies steamrolled all the opposition and made it all the way to the 2022 World Series, where Bryce Harper and company eventually lost.

Atlanta Braves and New York Mets head toward a showdown

Whether or not Seth Elledge will make a difference for his new organization is beside the point. This obscure waiver claim goes to show how invested fans from both sides are in this rivalry, and how even the most minute opportunities for trash talk are capitalized on.

The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves will have their first meeting of the 2023 season on April 29 at Citi Field in Queens. With both teams looking to assert themselves in the NL East early, the four-game set should be jam-packed with action.