Noah Syndergaard Could Become Available, But is He Needed?
For years, the Dodgers and their fans have dreamed of a scenario where the Mets give up and sell off their high-end pitching talent. It looks as though that may partially be coming to fruition, except the Mets are not ready to throw in the towel on the 2019 season just yet. Noah Syndergaard could be on the move before the 2019 season.
hear at least half-dozen teams are believed to be real players for Noah Syndergaard. mets are seriously considering deals for him if they could fill multiple holes with real impact. will be one of the big winter meetings storylines.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 21, 2018
The Mets’ newest General Manager literally has no GM experience other than the few weeks that he has under his belt now. In that very short time, he has already expressed his desire to contend as well as to fill voids in the lineup. It’s no secret that the Mets have one of the strongest starting rotations in all of baseball. They started off the 2018 season with the number 8 ranked rotation in the MLB, just behind the Dodgers. So does Noah Syndergaard leaving really disrupt them?
The truth of the matter is that Thor has been fairly unreliable in terms of his durability. He pitched in 25 games in 2018 and threw 154 innings. He has yet to eclipse 200 innings in a single season in his four-year career. So while he certainly is an elite talent, his departure could potentially cause more good than harm for New York.
The Cost for Thor
The real question is what it would cost to get a talent like Syndergaard to the west coast. Not only is he a top-tier pitcher, but he also has three more years of team control. With Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen noting they would want to fill voids in the lineup, it certainly seems as though they are looking for major league ready players to contribute in 2019. And boy do the Mets ever has some voids to fill.
First base may be one of their top needs, aside from catching. Jay Bruce appears to be the lead man for the job at the moment, and he failed miserably in 2018. The 31-year-old veteran hit just 223 and clubbed only nine home runs in a very disappointing season. There are a few prospect options the Dodgers could include, but Max Muncy makes the most sense for the Mets’ needs. He crushed 35 home runs and slugged over 200 points better than Bruce did in a career year. Muncy also comes with a few years of team control behind him as well, as he is not eligible for arbitration until 2020.
Another great need for the Mets is in their bullpen. If Syndergaard were to leave, Seth Lugo would likely make the transition from the bullpen to the rotation. He got to start five games in 2018 and spent the rest of the time in relief. He was pristine, pitching to a 2.66 earned run average across 101 innings of work. Lugo’s move would leave a huge hole in the bullpen that the Dodgers could easily fill for them.
Caleb Ferguson is the first name that comes to mind, as he also comes with team control. He may not have been great as a starter, but he was absolutely lights out in relief. In 38 relief innings, Ferguson allowed a 2.35 ERA and struck out 11 per nine innings. He could easily slide into really any bullpen in the league and instantly make them a better team. The Dodgers could also consider a package that includes Scott Alexander as well, who is not eligible for arbitration until 2020.
What Does the Package Need?
I expect the Mets would require Muncy, Alexander, Ferguson, and then some to even consider a conversation over Syndergaard. Perhaps a few prospects come into play. The Mets are in need of catching and the Dodgers have a few backstops in their system that will be ready in a few years. Experts have high praise for Diego Cartaya(#11 Prospect) and he could certainly entice New York. They might also consider putting Dennis Santana(#6 prospect) and/or Mitchell White(#7 prospect) into a package.
Regardless, the cost would certainly be high. But it’s not every day teams get the chance at adding that sort of talent to their lineups. The Dodgers could easily replace any of the major league guys included in the deal, especially with their glut of starting pitching. And Thor sure would look good in Dodger blue…
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Thor would be a good addition to the rotation but we already have 8 potential starters so 1 or 2 of them would need to be traded.
Trading Muncy now after a break-out season would only make sense for a top-top tier pitcher like DeGrom (not on the trade block this year). Dodgers need to see if Muncy blossoms into an everyday slugger with average. If so, he is the future of this team. Remember when we let Beltre go? We do not need more starting pitching right now, though a top right-hander would be great. No, in fact, we have a glut there and could better afford to trade a good starter for a great catcher . That is our need now .
Muncy can be dealt in the right deal that addresses some of our needs. The pitching around the league IMHO has already made some adjustments to him and honestly I would like to see Bellinger return to 1st base permanently where he belongs. Cody having to go back and forth in almost every game had a bit to do with his less than stellar offense at times in 2018
I totally agree with you, Elliott. Let Muncy have an actual season, Spring Training through October, and not just somebody plucked from AAA to save the day in 3 or more positions.
@Brooke, I hope to not feel your “Locastro pain” some day.
Is Syndergaard needed? Are you kidding? He is one of the top 5 pitchers in the game right now and worth almost anyone on the Dodgers roster or in their farm system.
Are you listening Andrew?
To let him go to any Dodger opponent is idiotic, as are the Mets if they let him go. Anyone remember Nolan Ryan?
If your guesses on what it would cost the Dodgers are correct I would do it in a second. I love the story of Muncy but I like Bellinger at first he is a top tier defensive 1st baseman. And Verdugo and Toles need to either be brought up or traded Outfield space must be cleared. We can easily move Alexander, perhaps one of these… Wood, Ferguson or May? Hell throw in Pederson.
I would hesitate on Cartaya but would offer Smith.
Think of a Rotation of Kershaw, Buehler, Thor, Hill, Ryu and Maeda/Urias/Wood or Santana fighting it out for time if not traded. That is what you need in the Playoffs Dominant Rotational Pitching.