New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom will see his name pop up plenty of times in trade rumors over the next month or so. You can now add the Milwaukee Brewers as a potential landing spot.
Despite starting the season 11-1, the New York Mets enter Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 28-38 record. Instead of representing legitimate contenders, they now appear to be clear sellers once the non-waiver trade deadline rolls around.
It remains to be seen if he’ll actually get traded — it’d be very surprising if he does — but there’s no doubt that right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom would bring back the most in any hypothetical deal.
Just about any team in baseball would take him if the possibility was there. After all, he’s dominated to the tune of a 1.55 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 32.8 percent strikeout rate and 6.7 percent walk rate through 87.1 innings of work.
We’ve already heard that getting traded to the New York Yankees is unlikely, but the Milwaukee Brewers look to be contenders and could use a top-of-the-rotation arm. MLB.com’s Jim Duquette listed them as one of a handful of MLB teams that could make a deal happen.
Here are Duquette’s thoughts on a potential match between New York and Milwaukee:
The Brewers are currently leading their division and have the best record in the NL, but they still need a top-of-the-rotation starter to break into the ranks of baseball’s elite teams, especially given Jimmy Nelson’s uncertain return date from shoulder surgery. A prospect package of second baseman Keston Hiura (Brewers’ No. 1 prospect) and righty Corbin Burnes (No. 2) would have to headline any trade for deGrom, with two out of outfielder Corey Ray, righty Freddy Peralta (No. 9) and first baseman Jake Gatewood (No. 17) rounding out the deal.
Even if Sandy Alderson doesn’t want to engage teams about his staff ace, they’ll keep calling until July 31 passes anyway. It’s worth noting, though, that these two teams at least have some recent transaction history — the Mets dealt Neil Walker to Milwaukee prior to the waiver trade deadline last August.
Whether you’re in favor of the Mets exploring and pulling the trigger on a deal with deGrom involved or not, buckle up — it’s going to be a roller coaster of emotions for the next few weeks.
