Following a hot start, the New York Mets have spiraled out of control enough where they appear primed to embrace the role of being trade-deadline sellers.
Hearing that the New York Mets plan to take on the role of sellers as the non-waiver trade deadline approaches is probably the least surprising news of their season. After all, what would you expect from a 32-46 team that’s lost 37 of its last 53 games?
However, it still stings when one looks back at where manager Mickey Callaway‘s squad was in the middle of April following an 11-1 start.
The changes officially started earlier this week with long-time general manager Sandy Alderson stepping away for health reasons. As the trio of Omar Minaya, J.P. Ricciardi and John Ricco take over the reigns for the time being, ownership has charged them with being open to anything that could improve the organization, according to a report from Tim Healy of Newsday.
So yes, that means talking to interested teams about Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. Here’s what Ricco had to say about the possibility of trading New York’s top young starting pitchers:
“We’ll have to consider [it]…For me, everything has to be on the table. But you have to look long and hard before you move a game-changing, top-of-the-rotation pitcher.”
Should fans be worried about a complete teardown of the big-league roster? At least for the time being, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Alderson said he didn’t feel it was necessary upon his exit, and Ricco echoed that sentiment:
“I really don’t see that as a strategy…It’s not something we’ve really discussed, a complete teardown. I think we have young players that we think are out on the field playing right now and pitching as well.”
When looking at long-term puzzle pieces like Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto, Seth Lugo, and Robert Gsellman, that actually makes some sense. If the front office does decide to strategically sell off some players for boatloads of prospects, they just need to make sure they end up targeting and acquiring the right ones.
This is disappointing for fans, but again, it’s not like this should be earth-shattering news. Since the Mets reached the postseason two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016 for just the second time in club history, nothing has gone right. And yes, some blame can be put on all the injuries, but that’s not an excuse to just keep trying the same thing over and over.
Will Syndergaard or deGrom actually get traded? It certainly seems unlikely at this point, but New York is firmly in the driver’s seat here. Both hurlers have displayed elite ability on the mound, are affordable, and are under team control for a number of years following 2018.
If one of these guys are moved, it will only be because the front office received an over-the-top offer that can’t be refused. The more interesting conversations will reside around more realistic trade targets, like Asdrubal Cabrera, Jeurys Familia, and even a suddenly hot Wilmer Flores.
Changes are coming, but there can at least be hope that what transpires over the next month will help put the club in an advantageous spot moving forward.
