There were a few similarities in the losing Mets clubhouse.

Players were emotional, many sharing red-tinged eyes and hugs. And the players surveyed were optimistic about the future of the organization, even if there was no guarantee that player would be part of it.

The 2024 Mets were an odd team for reasons beyond Grimace, “OMG” and the Playoff Pumpkin.

This season would mark a step back after Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander left at the previous trade deadline and after an offseason that imported many one-year deals. Those contracts were supposed to bridge the gap between the present and the future, substitutes that would keep the Mets competitive without blocking spots for rising Mets prospects.

Instead, additions like Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and J.D. Martinez – plus under-the-radar signings like Jose Iglesias and trade deadline upgrades like Jesse Winker, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton – carried the Mets to Game 6 of the NLCS.

Is this a sign that the Mets, who could lose three-fifths of their rotation in free agency and need to rebuild, have sustainability questions? Or is this a sign that the current crop of Mets leaders are uniquely equipped to continue making strong decisions that lead to strong rosters?

“I think David (Stearns) did a great job this season of putting things together, putting good people in his clubhouse and then making additions at the trade deadline that allowed us to get to this spot,” Brandon Nimmo said after the Mets. were eliminated on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

“I really think this is kind of a starting point. We now want to set this as the default. But… it’s hard to get here.’

Nimmo is a basic document that has been signed until 2030. Francisco Lindor returns, as do Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Edwin Diaz.

JD Martinez wants to continue playing next season and likely won’t return to the Mets, but he expects the Mets to be a contender.

“They have a good core there,” said Martinez, who acknowledged the many offseason decisions that awaited the club.

“…The fact that their core is coming back, I think they’re going to be a good team. Clearly, they need to fill the gaps they will miss next year. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they do and the team is in this situation again next year.”

Steve Cohen will no longer pay off the contracts of Scherzer and Verlander (and James McCann and Omar Narvaez) next year. Somewhere around $160 million dollars will fall off the Mets payroll for next season, which will be another opportunity to open Cohen’s wallets and the imaginations of Mets fans.

But also make sure there are enough vacancies for a team that managed to find almost every free agent last season.

“Now we have raised the bar,” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “The expectations now – this is what we have to strive for every year, to play well into October. And we showed that this year.

“I learned a lot, but the one thing is that we have great people here. And Steve, our owner, and Alex, a first-class organization, and we have great people here. I’m just proud of everyone.”

There’s a lot of praise for Mendoza, a first-year Major League manager who communicates well and guided the Mets out of valley after valley.

He and Stearns seem to be the couple Cohen was looking for.

“The Mets will be good for years to come, I think, because the philosophy they have now is really good,” Diaz said. “We want to win. Ownership, manager, everyone wants to win.

“So they force the players to perform the way they want.”

The Mets’ biggest strength in 2024 might have been chemistry, which is hard to fake and hard to predict.

Iglesias, a part-time second baseman and part-time international pop star, will hit the open market. Winker, who started the eyeblack trend by painting the starting pitcher’s number under the eyes of his rotation mates, will be a free agent. Manaea, Severino and Jose Quintana, who joined forces and jumped after each excellent start ended, could all be gone.

Possibly also gone is the ability to sneak up on opponents.

“We definitely want to try to be here and come back and get the job done,” Nimmo said, “but there are no surprise people. I think next year people will be a little more tired of us.”

Tired of whoever is on the 2025 Mets, a team that will likely look dramatically different. Players who fell two wins short of a World Series appearance believe the remaining players are well positioned.

“I really believe something good is happening here,” Lindor said.