The Mets began their final homestand before the trade deadline with two bold additions: Chick-fil-A advertisements running vertically up the foul poles — or fowl poles now, it seems — at Citi Field. Presumably in the next week, General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen will be just as active as the team’s ad sales staff.

Van Wagenen needs to add vital long-term talent by subtracting from the major league roster. He tried a quick fix after becoming the G.M. last fall, trading prospects and signing veterans. By the time his centerpiece, Robinson Cano, erupted for three home runs on Tuesday, the season had already dissolved into a well-intentioned failure.

A.J. Preller, the general manager of the visiting San Diego Padres, can relate. The Padres are enduring their ninth consecutive losing season — they are 48-53 after Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over the Mets — but their direction is clear.

“We feel like, right now, we’re interesting,” Preller said on Tuesday. “We have a talent base. Every night, you can see some players that are performing right now and some guys that we think are going to continue to get better in the next few years. But we’re still not where we want to get to.”