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.

A little more than seven weeks remain for a Mets team with eyes trained increasingly on the future. But the team cannot simply fast forward to the offseason. Nor would it want to -- not with jobs up for grabs and evaluations still to be made.

With those factors in mind, here are the seven most important developments worth tracking over the next seven weeks:

1. What sorts of improvements can Brett Baty make?
Baty, whom the Mets optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday, almost certainly will return before season’s end. When that happens, Mets officials will be watching closely to determine what he accomplished in the Minors.

Upon demoting Baty, manager Buck Showalter noted the mental and emotional toll that the rookie’s struggles have taken on him. The Mets are going to want to see Baty in a good headspace down the stretch, just as they’ll look for better contact at the plate and more fluid defensive work at third base.

Baty still has the inside track to be the team’s starting third baseman next summer, but he’s going to have to prove to the Mets that he deserves that standing.

2. What sort of player can Mark Vientos become?
With Baty in the Minors, Vientos should have a long runway to play third base most days in August. It’s the type of opportunity Vientos has not previously enjoyed over parts of two seasons in the Majors, and the type that generally treats him well.

As far back as Rookie ball, Vientos has demonstrated an aptitude for improvement once he gains experience at a level. If he can do the same thing in the Majors, it will put him in prime position for at least a platoon gig on next year’s team.

A strong stretch run might even prompt the Mets to consider making him their everyday third baseman or DH, depending on Baty’s development.

3. Could Francisco Alvarez or Kodai Senga make a late run at Rookie of the Year?
Easily the most positive development of this difficult summer has been Alvarez, whose numbers would make him a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate many other years. Corbin Carroll’s performance in Arizona may have changed the rookie landscape, but both Alvarez and Senga still have a chance to steal votes away from him.

A late-season flourish for Alvarez could even put pressure on Carroll, as the two are currently tied atop the Major League rookie leaderboard with 21 homers.

4. Might Ronny Mauricio earn a callup?
No Mets position-player prospect stands closer to the Majors than Mauricio, who is closing in on 100 career games at Triple-A. But after playing almost nonstop over the past 18 months due to a long Dominican Winter League season, Mauricio has hit a snag recently, struggling to such an extent that he’s no longer tempting the Mets to promote him.

Since July 16, Mauricio is batting .228/.299/.317 with a 26.4% strikeout rate. If the No. 3 prospect can iron out those issues over the next few weeks, he profiles as a surefire September callup. But the Mets won’t make that move until they see real growth from Mauricio on both sides of the ball.

5. How will Showalter handle the rest of this season?
The stretch run figures to be an audition for Showalter as much as it is for many of his players. Although Showalter is under contract through next season and recently received a tepid endorsement from owner Steve Cohen, no guarantees exist that the Mets will bring him back to oversee things in 2024.

How Showalter helps mold the organization’s young players could play a role in the front office’s evaluation of him -- even if ultimately the choice may not be up to general manager Billy Eppler. The Mets still plan to hire a president of baseball operations as soon as possible, and that person should have a say in the composition of the organization’s field staff.

6. What can David Peterson and Tylor Megill do to position themselves for 2024?
Both Peterson and Megill have taken significant steps backward this season, but they remain under team control next year, and they figure, at the least, to serve as organizational pitching depth.

A strong stretch run could put them in position for even more prominent roles. Certainly, the Mets are going to pluck multiple pitchers from the free-agent market this winter, but they will be leery of those seeking long-term deals, such as Shohei Ohtani and Julio Urías. If the club feels confident in Peterson or Megill heading into 2024, that will shorten their offseason shopping list. It just can’t happen without obvious improvement from Peterson and Megill in August and September.

7. Will Edwin Díaz return?
In terms of feel-good stories, nothing would mean more than the return of Díaz. The Mets have been tightlipped about their closer since the day he suffered a complete right patellar tear during the World Baseball Classic, but Showalter has recently dropped hints about the idea of Díaz returning before the end of the season, despite a more conservative recovery timetable taking him to November.

To be clear: the Mets won’t even open the conversation unless Díaz meets all the required benchmarks and doctors clear him to return. But if New York’s medical staff approves it, the team will have no qualms with bringing Díaz back from the injured list for an appearance or two in late September. A successful return would make everyone feel better about Díaz heading into the winter.