Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |
The Mets have been entertaining offers for Noah Syndergaard for long enough that a trade has begun to feel inevitable -- but the team knows that it must proceed cautiously, and be mindful of next season's rotation.
According to teams in touch with the Mets, the asking price for a July trade for Syndergaard is multiple top prospects. Rival executives say that they are skeptical Syndergaard can bring that return, given his middling performance this season.
If a team steps up, Brodie Van Wagenen will consider the offer. But he will also have to get creative about saving next year's team, which will likely be without Zack Wheeler and Jason Vargas. Pitching prospect Anthony Kay projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter until he refines his breaking ball.
If the Mets do trade Syndergaard, which they have long been willing to do, it will beg the question of who exactly will start games next year.
It's still possible that the Mets will begin the 2020 season with Syndergaard in the rotation, and trade him in July, if the team is not in the race. Syndergaard would be a free agent after the 2021 season.
No one involved seems to expect that the Mets will make a long-term commitment to him beyond that, as they did with Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom.
