Noah Syndergaard New York Mets
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The New York Mets won’t be trading embattled closer Edwin Díaz or stud starter Noah Syndergaard this offseason.

Despite a second-half run to propel themselves back into the wild card hunt, the New York Mets failed to make the playoffs for the third straight season. The front office was clearly unhappy with how the year transpired and announced on Thursday that they were firing manager Mickey Callaway.

New York general manager Brodie Van Wagenen additionally announced Thursday that two talented players who had down seasons in 2019 will remain with the team. Those individuals are Edwin Díaz and Noah Syndergaard.

“Edwin Díaz will be on our team next year. That’s our full expectation. Noah Syndergaard will be on our team next year,” Wagenen said when speaking to reporters after the Callaway firing went public, per ESPN.

This is a smart decision by the team. I wrote in September about why the team should keep Díaz despite his gaudy home run rate and inflated ERA. The same holds true with Syndergaard.

Thor’s ERA entering 2019 was 2.93. He finished with a 4.28 ERA this season. Díaz had a more drastic spike, going from a career ERA of 2.64 to finishing with a 5.59 ERA this year. Their track records and ages (27 and 25, respectively) suggest that they will return to form next year.

Additionally, both pitchers had FIPs that were better than their ERAs (3.60 for Syndergaard and 4.51 for Díaz). This indicates that luck and poor defense hurt both pitchers as well. Díaz actually recorded the highest K/9 rate of his career (15.4). Syndergaard tied his worst HR/9 rate (1.1), which he previously set in his rookie season. Díaz set his worst at 2.3.

At the end of the day, it stands to reason that the pitchers were struck with poor luck more than a reduction of talent. Both should bounce back next season to be key pieces of the 2020 Mets as the team tries to charge back into the playoffs.

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I'm a student at Binghamton University. I'm a huge fan of the Mets, Rangers, Giants, and Jets, and will be covering them for the site, as well as fantasy hockey, football, and baseball. My twitter is @wmcine