Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Mets badly want J.T. Realmuto, so much so that they have had three-way talks with the Yankees and Marlins on a potential deal that would land Realmuto with the Mets and Noah Syndergaard with the Yankees.

SNY's Andy Martino reported late Monday from the Winter Meetings that Syndergaard to the Yankees is one of many scenarios in play for the Mets, and added that the Yankees' interest in the Mets' pitching is not limited to Syndergaard.

While adding Realmuto would be huge for the Mets, they should absolutely not do it at the expense of Syndergaard -- unless another major piece is coming back to them in return. And by major, we mean an impact piece.

In any other scenario, Syndergaard needs to stay put. Here are the two reasons why:

Syndergaard is more valuable than Realmuto

Syndergaard has three years of team control left, while Realmuto has two. When you're talking about two players who are among the best in the game at their respective position, that extra year of control is massive.

The Mets said last week that in order to deal Syndergaard, they would need a "special" return. If the only major piece coming back for Syndergaard is Realmuto, that return is not "special."

In Syndergaard, the Mets have one of the most coveted types of players out there. Young, inexpensive, under team control for three years. If they're going to deal him, it has to be for something that truly blows them away. Realmuto isn't it.

There are two very good free agent catchers available

Yes, Realmuto is the best catcher in baseball. But it's important to put that in context during a time when there simply aren't that many good catchers out there and the bar is lower. The difference between Realmuto and Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos isn't so great that a team should trade valuable assets to acquire him while creating a hole elsewhere on the roster.

Remember Brodie Van Wagenen's comments on Monday night when asked about the potential of trading Amed Rosario? Here's a reminder:

"We don't want to create a hole that we didn't have by filling a hole that we did have, right? So we want to make sure that if we do make moves that we're adding to our strengths and filling the gaps where we needed the help. But we're not gonna create a hole by filling another."

The above would also hold true when it comes to dealing Syndergaard for Realmuto (or Rosario for Realmuto for that matter).

But when it comes to Syndergaard being dealt in order to get Realmuto, unless the Mets are getting another huge piece back, these talks should end and the Mets should pivot to either Grandal or Ramos. Or find a deal with the Marlins where they're not trading Syndergaard or Rosario. Want to facilitate a three-way deal using Zack Wheeler or Steven Matz as the main piece heading to the Yanks? Go for it.

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