Just over 48 hours remain before the MLB trade deadline strikes at 3 p.m. CT Wednesday, and Twins fans are constantly refreshing Twitter feeds to get the latest on Minnesota’s reported interest in Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
The latest: Syndergaard edited his Twitter bio to say “Pitcher for the New York Mets, for now. Mrs. Met would hate to see me traded.”
And his latest tweet is a gif of Thor, whom he’s nicknamed after, with the quote “I have no idea what’s going on right now.”
Beyond that, the Mets threw the league a curveball Sunday by trading for Toronto starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, and in doing so took control of the market because they now hold three starting pitchers – Stroman, Syndergaard and Zach Wheeler – who have been in the trade rumor mill as options for contending teams for months now.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the Mets have no plans to trade Stroman, while adding that it’s becoming increasingly likely that Wheeler or Syndergaard are traded.
Some Mets information, per sources. The plan is to hold on to Marcus Stroman, not flip him. They are increasingly unlikely to sign Zack Wheeler to a contract extension. The likelihood is strong they deal at least one of Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. They’ve hijacked the market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2019
Syndergaard, 26, has a 4.33 ERA in 20 starts this season, which is way up from his career 3.21 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk ratio this year (3.5 strikeouts for every walk) is down from his career rate (4.6 strikeouts for every walk).
The big question about Syndergaard’s decline is if it has more to do with a bad defense and alleged juiced baseballs than it does his overall skillset and performance.
The Twins have not been linked to Wheeler, who unlike Stroman and Syndergaard, will become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
It’s also been reported that the Mets are looking to add an MLB-ready position player in any deal for Wheeler or Syndergaard.
There are rumblings out there that Mets want MLB talent back in any Syndergaard trade.
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) July 29, 2019
Minnesota is stacked up and down the lineup, but throwing out names like Luis Arraez and Miguel Sano is nothing more than wild speculation at this point. If you check Twitter, you’ll see their names without any real reporting going on.
Last Friday, the Star Tribune’s La Velle E. Neal III reported that the Mets wanted Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, the top-two prospects the Twins have, to start any conversations involving Syndergaard.
One way or another, dealing for Syndergaard is going to cost a lot.
If the Mets don’t trade Syndergaard they could attack the NL wild-card race with him, Jacob deGrom and Stroman, which could be a potent trio if they’re able to make the playoffs.
There are other starters available, including Arizona’s Zach Grienke and Robbie Ray, Mike Minor of the Rangers, and possibly Trevor Bauer of the Indians and Matthew Boyd of the Tigers.
