Their intentions are now unmistakable.
Despite losing 85 games in 2018 and a roster with little reason for optimism, the New York Mets are aiming for the top of the National League East in 2019. This became abundantly clear after the Mets traded for middle-of-the-order bat Robinson Cano and shutdown closer Edwin Diaz on Monday, taking on significant salary and crazy high expectations with one agreement.
What is still murky is how sparkling new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen will proceed with a player who should be one of the marquee names for the organization’s rise back to prominence – Noah Syndergaard.
The Met’s flirting with a Syndergaard deal goes back to the previous regime as last summer’s non-waiver trade deadline came and went. Now, with the franchise paving its own path by hiring a former player agent as GM – an agent who represented Syndergaard before taking this new gig – the talks about one of the best pitchers in baseball being up for grabs have started to simmer again.
If true, despite what other trades and signings Van Wagenen might be perusing, the idea of trading Syndergaard goes completely against this reborn vision of the Mets contending for a division and NL championship. Especially when the pitcher has performance (132 ERA+ for his career), age (he’s 26), stuff (his 97.4 fastball velocity was the best in the league) and value (he won’t be a free agent until after the 2021 season) on his side.
Sources: Mets are motivated to trade Noah Syndergaard with GM Brodie Van Wagenen initiating talks w/multiple clubs. Expectation is he will be traded this winter, FA SP will be signed to fill his spot. deGrom is off limits w/NYM hoping for extension. BVW used to be agent for both.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) November 29, 2018
If Van Wagenen decided to scrap the roster as it stood when he accepted the job, then trading Syndergaard should have been at the top of his honey-do list. Syndergaard is one of the most promising pitchers in the sport and his numbers back it up – his down year in 2018 still produced a 3.03 ERA, 2.80 FIP and a 3.97 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those stats are easily projected to get better since last season was peppered with fluke injuries – a strained finger ligament and hand, foot and mouth disease.
Plus, he’ll make only about $6 million next season. That’s a big-league bargain.
So, sure, on the trade market, Syndergaard is the kind of proven talent who can bring in a haul of prospects for the rebuilding Mets. Except they are clearly not rebuilding, not after taking on more than $60 million in the Cano/Diaz trade and losing two of their top four prospects in the deal.
That was a win-now move, as would be a second blockbuster trade for Cleveland Indians No. 1 Corey Kluber, who is rumored to be another Van Wagenen target.
This begs the question, why? Why, with the vision the new-look Mets are committing to, would they look to trade a pitcher who could help lead them back to October?
That question begs another – does Van Wagenen, who repped Syndergaard until a little more than a month ago, know something about his ex-client that the rest of the baseball world doesn’t? Is Syndergaard a Tommy John surgery candidate in the waiting? Are there off-field issues that haven’t surfaced yet? What’s the deal? Why, why, why!?
Let’s assume Van Wagenen’s dealings are on the up and up, and right now we have no reason to believe otherwise. Then trading a potential ace who is cheap and under club control would completely contradict the Mets’ moves since hiring Van Wagenen in October. In fact, it would contradict aspirations for even a rebuilding team in certain cases – Syndergaard is the kind of talent you build around, not cast off with three more seasons of service remaining.
Even with a World Series appearance in 2015, the Mets as an organization have been the butt of jokes for years. Deservedly so in so many cases. But Monday’s trade and their apparent aggressiveness to keep adding winning pieces has them on the verge of being the loser nerd who becomes the big man on campus.
Trading Syndergaard now would be virtually inexplicable and totally inexcusable based on what Van Wagenen is starting to build for next season. It would make the Mets’ intentions questionable instead of unmistakable, and would be yet another reason to laugh at their dysfunction.
