At times this offseason, it’s seemed likely that the New York Mets would trade Noah Syndergaard. But it would appear as though that’s no longer the case.
New York’s general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, didn’t exactly rule out a Syndergaard trade. But he did make it clear that the Mets are planning on keeping the star right-hander.
Van Wagenen's exact quote on Syndergaard: "Noah Syndergaard is critical to what we're trying to do now. It would have to be very special circumstances for us to even consider moving Noah Syndergaard."
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) December 4, 2018
Given the acquisition Edwin Diaz and especially Robinson Cano from the Seattle Mariners, this makes sense. Diaz is someone who can be built around for the future. But bringing in Cano, a 36-year-old second baseman, very much signals a “win-now” approach. Syndergaard makes that goal far more realistic.
For Syndergaard, the primary issue, as always, is his health. Over the last two seasons, he’s posted a solid 3.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 9.2 K/9 rate. The problem has been his health. Syndegaard toed the rubber only 32 combined times over the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
If the Mets are going to compete in 2018, a healthy Syndergaard will be key.