John Supowitz| July 30th, 2019
There was a lot of expectations in Flushing this year: Wilson Ramos, Jed Lowrie, Robinson Cano, with a Cy Young deGrom, the Mets looked to be a force in that heavy National League East. Unfortunately, the familiar injury bug and some players not living up to expectations have them in fourth place. They have said Noah Syndergaard is available, and a few teams could use an ace quality pitcher like him. He won’t come cheap; The Mets will look to rebuild their franchise as a result of trading him. Here’s what some teams may need to give up to land the Syndergaard.
New York Yankees
Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Jonathan Loáisiga
I believe the Yankees can get away with no trading their top prospect Floral, or Abreu and Garica their top pitching prospects. It seems like Frazier’s thunder has gone deaf as his less than average defensive skills, and his attitude has soured that relationship. Although injured, Andujar could be a valuable piece, he’s not playing this year, but the Mets aren’t contending anyways. Loáisiga has major league experience and could come up to the big club immediately.
Boston Red Sox
Michael Chavis, Jackie Bradley Jr. Thad Ward (#9 Prospect) & Kyle Hart (#28 Prospect)
This one might be the long shot. The problem with the Red Sox is they really don’t have any valuable players in the upper-tier of their farm system. Michael Chavis recently was recently called up, and he has shown he’s major league ready. Bradley Jr. is major league ready, but he will be a free agent in 2021. That didn’t stop the Mets from getting Stroman, but if they are interested, they could ask for Ward and Hart. Hart has been pitched well in Triple-A Pawtucket and could be ready soon. Ward is lighting it up in his first full season in the Red Sox system with a 1.93 and 121 strikeouts in 100.1 innings pitched if they want to play the long game.
Chicago Cubs
Albert Almora/Kyle Schwarber or additional prospects, Nico Hoerner (#1 Prospect), Brailyn Marquez (#4 Prospect)
I believe the Cubs might have to give up one their bigger bats, Epstein is smart, he might be able to finagle that. It will be tough as their farm system is very thin. Shortstop Hoerner is their number two prospect, and even though Rosario already commands that position, Hoerner could move to second and replaced the 36-year-old Robinson Cano. Marquez is their top pitching prospect, with an electric fastball, has command issues, but having 94 strikeouts in 71.1 innings makes up for that.
Minnesota Twins
Alex Kirilloff (#2 Prospect), Brusdar Graterol (#3 Prospect), Jhoan Duran (#4 Prospect), Nick Gordon (#14 Prospect
The Twins have a great young core they can control for a very long time: Jose Berrios (2022), Max Kepler (2022), Bryon Buxton (2022), Jorge Polanco (2023), Eddie Rosario (2021). Getting an established ace pitcher could very well make this team into a World Series contender. With great young players already at the major league level, they can afford to let some of their better prospects go in order to win now. They could be the Royals of 2015 when they acquired Edinson Volquez or the Astros of 2017 getting Justin Verlander, trading for a top pitcher at the deadline, with young, home-grown players and winning a championship.
St. Louis Cardinals
Nolan Gorman (#1 Prospect), Ryan Helsley (#6 Prospect), Ivan Herrera (#7 Prospect), Junior Fernandez (#10 Prospect) or Genesis Cabrera (#11 Prospect)
The Cardinals have a great lineup. Unfortunately, their pitching has struggled and with their National League Central lead only a game, they need that top pitcher to set them apart. One benefit for the Cardinals is they have multiple high prospects at the same position. They could give up their number one prospect, third baseman Gorman because Elehuris Montero is right behind at number four. The same goes for Herrera, their number seven prospect because Andrew Kinzler (#3) is being groomed as Molina’s replacement.
Milwaukee Brewers
Mike Moustakas, would need a third team
With the injury to Brandon Woodruff, The Brewers could be a new player in the Syndegard sweepstakes. Like the Cubs and Red Sox, it will be tough to make a trade with how their current farm system. Their best bet would be to involve another team, one that needs a bat, hence trading away Moustakas. Like their mentioned National League Central rivals, they need that one x-factor that could separate them. It would not only help their team but also prevent a talented pitcher going to their rivals.
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