With the trade deadline less than a month away, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports that the New York Mets are inclined to pass on trading both right-handed starters Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
If the Mets did decided to deal deGrom, a rival executive gave his thoughts on a possible return, “When you look at the potential there, I’d compare it to what the Red Sox gave up to get Chris Sale, or maybe more because teams give up more with in-season trades than offseason trades.”
When the White Sox traded their ace back in December of 2016 they received the No. 1 prospect in baseball Yoan Moncada, top 30-50 MLB prospect in Michael Kopech, top 30 Red Sox prospect Luis Alexander Basabe and minor league pitcher Victor Diaz.
DeGrom, 30, is currently the major league leader with his 1.84 ERA and is under team control through the 2020 season.
Ackert also speculates that the Mets could get four prospects in return for Syndergaard, with two of them being major league ready. The big right-hander will make his return to the mound on Sunday in a rehab start for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
Syndergaard, 25, is a free agent after the 2021 season, and while he’s been effective in his major league career (2.92 ERA/2.59 FIP), he’s only thrown a combined 95 innings between 2017 and 2018.
With the Mets less inclined to trade deGrom or Syndergaard that likely put starters Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz on the trade block as they’re enjoying bounce back seasons. 
