The Mets have multiple needs if they have any hope of being a contender in 2014 as we all know, but certainly at the top of that list is the acquisition of a legitimate power hitter to hit behind David Wright. While I certainly have no inside information on the subject, let’s just suppose that the Blue Jays realize that sending Noah Syndergaard to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey deal was a mistake that they desperately want to rectify.
Syndergaard, who is now widely regarded as the Mets’ top prospect and one of the best pitching prospects in baseball is probably the last player the Mets want to trade, but suppose Toronto offered Jose Bautista, one of the premier power hitters in the game even-up in a trade for Syndergaard. No other players, no financial concessions. If you’re the Mets, do you take this deal?
Yes, I know, Mets fans would rather have Giancarlo Stanton or Troy Tulowitzki or another under-30-year-old, but that isn’t happening unless the Mets package 3 or 4 of their best prospects, and even then, who’s to say those players would even be available or that no other team can top the Mets’ offer?
Of course, no player comes with a guarantee and the Mets have a long record of failure when they have dealt for stars past their prime – Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, and George Foster to name just a few. Then again, the Mets have had a lot of top pitching prospects who never fulfilled their promise.
Bautista, who is 33, will earn $14 million a year for the next 2 years with a club option for 2016. He is coming off 2 injury-shortened years but the previous 2 years, he led the American League in homeruns. His stats for the last 4 years are :
2010 54 HR 124 RBI .260 2011 43 HR 103 RBI .302 2012 27 HR 65 RBI .241 2013 28 HR 73 RBI .259
The Mets could immediately plug him into right field and the cleanup position in the batting order.
Most likely, if the Mets approach Toronto about Bautista, the Blue Jays will request a package including Syndergaard as well as other players, probably willing to toss in a few spare parts or b-level prospects, but if it came down to a one-for-one exchange, would you like to see the Mets do it ? Should the Mets only consider trading Syndergaard for another young player and if so, who? Or should the Mets absolutely refuse to part with him?
