Fansided

Top 25 MLB trades of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 09: Pitcher Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a game at Citi Field on April 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 09: Pitcher Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a game at Citi Field on April 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 25
Next
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 09: Pitcher Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a game at Citi Field on April 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 09: Pitcher Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of a game at Citi Field on April 9, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

24. Noah Syndergaard to the Mets, 2012

  • Mets get: Noah Syndergaard, John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud, Wuilmer Becerra
  • Blue Jays get: R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas

The Toronto Blue Jays definitely want this one back. After the 2012 season, they decided to go all in on knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and gave up their 2010 first-round pick Noah Syndergaard to get him. Dickey was coming off a year where he had won the NL Cy Young on the back of a 20-win season with three shutouts.

Turns out the hard knuckler that Dickey was throwing for the Mets didn’t float and flutter quite as well in the domed Rogers Centre. In four years for the Blue Jays, Dickey went 49-52 with a 4.05 ERA. He made 70 starts at the Rogers Centre and had a 4.29 ERA there while allowing 1.5 HR/9. It was a gamble to make such a big trade for a knuckleball specialist, and you’d think the Blue Jays would have attempted to flesh out the physics of throwing the flutterball indoors.

Syndergaard was still a raw 19-year-old at the time of the trade, but he was already putting up dominant numbers in the minor leagues. He struck out 10.6 per nine at Single-A in 2012, and continued a gradual buildup after getting into the New York Mets organization. Shockingly, the Mets were patient with his development.

By the time Syndergaard debuted as a 22-year-old in 2015, he was pumping 101 mph with sliders and changeups in the low 90s. He has the potential to completely change the way baseball people think about sustainable velocity for starting pitchers. Staying healthy could be the only thing that stops Syndergaard from having a Hall of Fame career when it’s all said and done.

Home/MLB