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MLB trade deadline 2019: 9 best starters who could dealt

By Joshua Sadlock

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 23: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Chicago Cubs in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on July 23, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 23: Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Chicago Cubs in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on July 23, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 24: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on July 24, 2019 in New York City. The Padres defeated the Mets 7-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 24: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the San Diego Padres at Citi Field on July 24, 2019 in New York City. The Padres defeated the Mets 7-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

7. Zack Wheeler/Noah Syndergaard

If anyone tells you they know what the New York Mets will do at the trade deadline with starters Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler, they’re probably lying or at the very least grasping at straws. The Mets are just too incompetent to handle their young assets properly and will botch it somehow. It’s a bad movie that Mets fans will likely be forced to watch yet again.

In a trade market short on true aces, the Mets should absolutely be shopping Syndergaard aggressively, but it still remains unlikely they will pull the trigger on a deal. They should maintain a high asking price for the right-hander but need to be serious about their chances to win with him before free agency after the 2021 season. The 26-year-old remains one of baseball’s most dynamic and electric arms even if his ERA has crept over 4.00 for the first time in his five-year career. If the Mets make it obvious they want to make a deal happen, they will find the right offers.

The Mets can also offer contenders right-hander Zack Wheeler, who continues to be viewed as a potential ace for some reason. There’s probably still some untapped potential in Wheeler, but he has never been able to stay healthy for more than a season in his five-year career. His seven years of team control will expire at the end of the 2019 season, but he has pitched in the big leagues in only five of them. Wheeler is currently on the injured list with shoulder fatigue but will return Friday to face the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The correct course of action for the Mets is to trade both pitchers and attempt to build around Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso. There is speculation that if they trade Syndergaard an attempt to extend Wheeler will be made. That’s the wrong decision for the Mets, who need to hit the pause button and rebuild their farm system.

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