With a new front office leadership group in place, the Mets appear are poised to make some major trades leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
General manager Sandy Alderson recently stepped aside to focus on his health, and that means assistant general manager John Ricco and along with two veteran special assistants will run the team's baseball operations in Alderson's absence. Alderson was not inclined to enter a rebuilding phase, but things appear to be different under the new trio. Some details from Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News:
Ricco said the triumvirate, which also includes J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya, is weighing the possible franchise-changing trades of Noah Syndergaard or Jacob deGrom.
That, obviously, is a huge shift in thinking, and it's one that would alter the course of the franchise in a massive way. DeGrom, 30, has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball this season (1.69 ERA in 101 1/3 innings), and he's not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season. As for the hard-throwing Snydergaard, he's on the DL with strained ligament in his right index finger, but he's been very good when healthy this season (124 ERA+ with a 5.85 K/BB ratio in 11 starts). He's just 25, and he isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season. Obviously, he'd need to get healthy in advance of the deadline (his last start was May 25).
Given their excellence and the fact that each comes with multiple years of team control, deGrom and Syndergaard would surely net the Mets a huge haul in terms of prospects. That's especially the case given how overheated the deadline market tends to be when it comes to starting pitching. As for possible fits, the Braves, Brewers, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, and Nationals, among others, may be in the market for rotation help.
So is this the right decision for the Mets? It says here it is. Contention with the current core doesn't seem likely, and when that's the case the rational response is to tear it down. Ricco himself says that's under consideration. As such, consider the deadline game to be changed.
