The Mets deserve a lot of credit for never really pushing the nobody-believed-in-us rhetoric during the playoffs and World Series. Maybe that's because there were times during the season when even the guys in the room understood just how poorly the Mets were playing and how terrible the offense was performing.

The Mets ranked last in the majors in runs scored at the end of July, but because of the moves by general manager Sandy Alderson and the team's ownership, the offense was propped up and Terry Collins' club advanced to the fifth game of the World Series.

The Mets could be one barometer in measuring the parity in baseball these days, their success serving as a reminder that with a handful of adept moves, a team can climb out of the mediocre middle class and into the postseason.

Here are three teams that could make a similar climb in 2016 with a few decisions that turn out well:

1. The Arizona Diamondbacks.

There is so much to like about the D-Backs moving forward. They are anchored by two players who could finish in the top 10 in the NL MVP voting, Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock, and are a high-end defensive team, having ranked first in defensive runs saved (ahead of the Royals, by the way, who have been generally regarded as the best collection of defenders the last couple of seasons). They’ve got a strong farm system, with a good group of young arms developing.