The New York Mets’ season started so promisingly, but it since has taken a nosedive.
Since May began, the Mets have a Major League Baseball-worst 10-25 record and appear destined to miss the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons.
As such, they very well could find themselves sellers come trade deadline time, and there are no shortage of assets they possess that teams in contention could be longing for. Among them include high-end starting pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
Given Syndergaard’s recent health struggles, he could be much harder to flip via trade than deGrom, who has a 1.57 ERA with a 4-1 record this season. And not only could the Mets trade deGrom, it appears they probably could get a massive haul in the process.
In a column on ESPN, Buster Olney mused on a potential return for the Mets, and it sounds quite fetching.
“And lest there be any doubt, deGrom would be the most sought-after commodity in the market, and because he’s 2.5 seasons away from free agency and could potentially lead a team to three postseasons, the offers from contenders would probably surprise the Mets,” Olney wrote.
“They could reasonably ask for two elite major league ready prospects, and two high-end guys from the lower minor league system.”
If that’s the case and the Mets do decide to dabble in the trade market, they likely will be crossing their fingers Syndergaard’s health improves, because Olney added this:
“If Syndergaard demonstrates that he’s healthy before the All-Star break, he could generate similar interest.”
Wow.
Olney is as good an insider as there is in baseball, so his pulse on trades usually is pretty accurate. Given the Mets’ season appears to be going nowhere — they’re eight games off the pace for both the division and wild card and fading fast — selling off some players may be in their best interest.
And if those predicted returns end up being even remotely correct, it sounds like a no-brainer for New York.
