It’s the final week of the regular season, and there’s still plenty at stake — especially if you’re a Mets’ fan.

The Mets begin their final six games tonight in Chicago — all on the road — and they are teetering on the brink of one of the game’s biggest collapses. A playoff spot that once looked like a gimme has developed into anything but that.

Then there’s Terry Francona’s rising Reds, whose young club has found some late-season magic, leading the Mets for the final Wild Card spot (based on the tie-breaker).

As for the Phillies, their only concerns are trying to make a run at the Brewers for the best overall record and top spot, figuring out some postseason roster spots, and the immediate future of Aaron Nola.

Do the Yankees have a shot at winning the American League East? They’ll have to be near perfect this week, and need some Blue Jay bungling.

It has all the makings of a wild week.

Aaron’s Antics ... Could Aaron Nola be left off the Phils’ postseason roster? If Zack Wheeler was healthy, Nola likely would be.

For whatever reason, Nola can’t find his stride nor rhythm. Just when it looks like he might turn the corner, he has a setback. His latest outing against Arizona — four earned runs over 5.1 innings with seven hits — was again his par for the course. That loss left him with a 4-10 record and 6.46 ERA.

Nola’s best outing this season may have been his previous one against the Diamondbacks back on May 3, when he didn’t allow a run over six innings and scattered four hits with eight strikeouts and no walks. He recently had a six-inning stint against the Mets Sept. 8 in which he issued just four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

With Cristopher Sanchez’s rise, Nola has slipped down in the rotation behind him, Ranger Suarez, and Jesus Luzardo, who should be the postseason starters. Taijuan Walker’s recent surge has helped alleviate Wheeler’s loss, and he can be an extra starter.

Nola will be used in mop-up duty or middle relief. He will get his final start against the Twins this weekend. Nola is 4-4 with a 6.00 ERA at home this season.

Final Countdown ... There will be some debatable final Phillies postseason roster moves ahead.

One may come down to keeping Weston Wilson or Otto Kemp, both of who have proved their stay. Wilson may get the nod due to his versatility. Another growing trend has the Phils bringing back outfielder Johan Rojas, mainly for his speed and defense. Rojas’ choice would likely drop the pitching staff from 13 to 12.

Speaking of the pitching staff, reliever pickups Tim Mayza and Lou Trivino have both been impressive this month, and one or both could be in the mix. Postseason veteran Walker Buehler also has looked good.

Mets’ Mess ... If you remember, the Mets got off to a blazing start, holding first place from April 11 to May 19. On June 1, the Amazins’ were 37-22 and a game in front of the Phillies. They stayed consistent and were in first place for the last time on Aug. 2 when they were 63-48.

Since then, however, the wheels have come off their cart.

Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Mets have a slate of 17-28, and are 0-66 this season when they have trailed after eight innings. In their most recent homestand, they dropped two of three to the lowly Nationals and committed five errors.

But it begins with their starting pitching.

Since Aug. 1, All-Star lefty David Peterson has a 2-2 record with a 7.04 ERA in nine starts. Kodai Senga, once considered the ace, is in the minors. Sean Manaea, last year’s ace, has a 1-3 mark with a 7.02 ERA since the beginning of August. Manaea and Clay Holmes now piggy-back each other in starts because of their ineffectiveness.

Instead, the Mets have hung their hopes on the rookie trio of Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong, who aren’t fully battle-tested. McLean looks like the real deal with his 4-1, 1.67, 46 strikeout, 14 walk slate in seven starts.

If the Mets do miss the playoffs, manager Carlos Mendoza could be on the chopping block. After a honeymoon ride to the NL Championship Series last year, Mendoza could be headed for a baseball divorce.

A Yankee Doodle Dandy ... The Yankees entered this week’s play with an overall record of 88-68, and the first-place Blue Jays stood at 90-66. The Blue Jays have the head-to-head tiebreaker, and both teams will be at home for their final six games.

The Yankees will host the Orioles and White Sox, while the Blue Jays will welcome the Red Sox and Rays. On paper, it seems like the Yanks have the advantage.

New York, which has won five of its last six, needs a 5-1 spurt (or 4-2 at best) in this final stretch to have a realistic shot at its 22nd AL East title.

Rising Reds ... If the Reds do make the postseason, they certainly will be a Cinderella-like story.

The Reds have been inconsistent all season, and were 29-31 on June 1. They were 15-11 in June, and 13-12 in July before slightly dipping to 12-15 in August. They begin Tuesday’s play with an 80-76 record.

Francona has worked with several castoffs in his starting lineup, centered around 23-year-old star shortstop Elly De La Cruz (20 homers, 83 RBIs, .267). Former Phillie Austin Hays has found a new home (15, 64, .266).

The Reds’ pitching staff is led by former Royal Brady Singer (14-10, 3,86), and rising star Hunter Green (7-4, 2.74).

Cincinnati last made the postseason in 2020 when it lost the Wild Card round to the Braves. The Phillies beat the Reds in the 2010 NL Division Series in three games.

Caged Tiger ... One of the biggest slides — likely unnoticed in our area — has been the plight of the Tigers.

On July 8, Detroit was 59-34 and 15.5 games comfortably ahead of the Guardians in the AL Central. The Tigers were seemingly easing their way to the first division title since 2015 when they finished 90-72.

But, like many teams, they discovered how baseball is a long season.

Since then, the Tigers have lost their footing, going 21-38 beginning Tuesday’s play when they had a six-game losing streak and dropped 18 of their last 25. The Guardians swept a three-game series in Detroit last week.

As a result, the Guardians have since crept to within a game of the Tigers, as they just had a 10-game winning streak snapped and have won 15 of their last 17 games. Since July 8 when they were 42-48, Cleveland is 42-24, including 16-5 in September. Their latest run has been without closer Emmanuel Close and fifth starter Luis Ortiz, who both have been suspended for gambling allegations.

Former Yankee and Tigers’ All-Star Gleyber Torres is hitting .216 in September. Detroit hit .248 as a team in August, and currently has a .247 team average.

A Big Nick ... One controversy that has continuously surrounded the Phillies has been outfielder Nick Castellanos.

Castellanos began the season without any issues, hitting .265 in April, .300 in May, and .276 in June.

But his troubles began in July when he dipped to .206, despite hitting six homers with 12 RBIs, and also began to have some fielding issues.

In August, Castellanos further dropped to .180, which was further magnified with the ascent of Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh, who both broke out of their season slumps.

Castellanos’ current contract of $20 million will expire after the 2026 season, but he likely will be shopped in the offseason.

The 33-year-old, 13-year veteran could be on the decline, as he hasn’t hit the same marks he had in Cincinnati and Detroit. Castellanos hit .284 overall in two seasons with the Reds, where he had 48 homers and 134 RBIs.

In his four years with the Phillies, Castellanos has 82 homers, 323 RBIs and a .261 average His best season came in 2017 with the Tigers, when he hit 26 homers with 101 RBIs and a .272 average along with a league-high 10 triples. He is a career .273 hitter.

Times Passages ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, manager or team from our favorite pastime.

Former Mets manager Davey Johnson, who led the team to their last World Series crown in 1986, recently passed away, but his legacy wasn’t highly recognized.

Aside from managing the Mets (595-417, .588), the former All-Star second baseman had successful runs with Cincinnati (204-172, .541), Baltimore (186-138, .574), the Dodgers (165-161, .513), and Washington (224-183, .550).

He was the American League Manager of the Year with Baltimore in 1997, and the National League Manager of the Year with Washington in 2012.

Overall, Johnson had a record of 1,372-1071 (.561) in the dugout.

With Atlanta in 1973, Johnson hit 43 homers while Hank Aaron had 44 and Darrell Evans added 41. Johnson played with Sadaharu Oh in Japan in 1975 and 1976.

Johnson was signed as a free agent by the Phillies in February of 1977, and he hit .272 in 122 games with 10 homers and 50 RBIs. He was traded to the Cubs for Larry Anderson on Aug. 6, 1978.

Overall, Johnson was a four-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves.

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