Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |
As all teams do when their season ends, the Mets will hold organizational meetings this week to set an offseason plan.
But one area that won't require much work is their starting rotation, which is likely to look like this next year: Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, Steven Matz and a fifth starter yet to be acquired.
The July acquisition of Stroman was made with the intention of replacing either Wheeler or Syndergaard in 2020. The Mets and Wheeler's agent discussed parameters for a contract extension in July, and did not come close to an agreement, according to sources.
Because of that, the expectation is that Wheeler's near future will go like this: The Mets will likely extend a qualifying offer, which Wheeler will reject in order to sign with another team.
As for Syndergaard, the Mets were heavily engaged in talks about trading him, both last December and this July. Their inability to find a palatable deal, combined with the lack of momentum in Wheeler extension talks, led them to their current position that Syndergaard is unlikely to be the subject of trade rumors this offseason. Stroman will replace Wheeler, not Syndergaard.
If that plan holds, it will spare the Mets a round of drama. Syndergaard remained mostly silent through two news cycles, but would probably have been more vocal this time around about not wanting to see his name dangled in rumors again.
This does not mean that Syndergaard will be a Met long-term. That's a decision yet to be made by either party. It means that he is under team control for two more seasons, represents excellent value for his performance, and can be a solid number two behind deGrom in 2020.
