MLB trade rumors: 5 potential landing spots for Noah Syndergaard
The New York Mets will command a king’s ransom if they decide to trade Noah Syndergaard, but these five teams have what it takes to get a deal done.
As the glory of the 12-2 start to the year turns to ruin for the New York Mets, the beginning rumble of a total rebuild has begun. Rumors have begun circulating around aces Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, and the Mets have no reason not to consider serious offers for the pair, who have two and three years of team control, respectively, left before free agency.
The writing is on the wall for the Mets as they fall further and further below .500 in June. They are 4-15 since May 21 and have not won consecutive games in nearly three weeks. This team caught lightning in a bottle with their run to the World Series in 2015, but a rash of injuries has torpedoed any chance they had of building a consistent winner around a stable of young pitchers.
The Mets have a weak farm system and an aging lineup that cannot stay healthy. This group had a very short window within which to win, and it has already shut. Trading Syndergaard and deGrom has to be on the table. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Mets to bring back a handful of future All-Star players that will eventually form a more well-rounded core than their current group, one that relied entirely on starting pitching to carry them to the playoffs.
Syndergaard may have more upside potential than any young starting pitcher in baseball. He is still only 25 and has complete command of 100-mph heat and a devastating array of secondary pitches. Health is not really a concern, and he is 28-19 with a 2.92 ERA and 10.4 strikeouts per nine for his career. The price will be steep, but these five teams absolutely have to come to the table and try and work out a trade for the Mets if they are actually serious about trading their best pitchers.
5. Philadelphia Phillies
With the New York Yankees being linked to the Mets as potential trade partners in a blockbuster deal, it is safe to assume that a trade to a division rival is also not out of the question. There is a case to be made against trading an ace to a team you’re trying to beat down the road, but the Mets need to be seeking out the best potential prospects. There’s no debating that two of the teams above them, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, have elite farm systems overflowing with exciting prospects.
Let’s start with the Phillies before moving on to the Braves.
A hot start for the Phillies has begun unraveling slightly as the calendar turns to June but they are still very much in a position to contend all year and set up to do even more damage beyond 2018. Philadelphia is already looking like a very strong player in the free-agent market this winter with their massive pile of free cash, but putting Syndergaard at the top with Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta makes them a slam-dunk candidate for any player looking to set himself up to win multiple titles.
As far as prospects go, the Phillies already have a deep pool of young players who have already reached the big leagues. There’s Scott Kingery, J.P. Crawford, Dylan Cozens, Maikel Franco — really, take your pick. Down in the minor leagues, Sixto Sanchez has an electric arm, while Mickey Moniak is a former number-one overall pick.