The Deal: Syndergaard to Houston
Forrest Whitely, Seth Beer, and Miles Straw to the New York Mets
This trade would be the type of swap that would force the Mets into action. It is extremely unlikely that Houston would offer such a deal, as they would be sacrificing too much. Alternatively, a trade of much less value would not even be considered by the Mets at this juncture.
Seth Beer is a rising first base and outfield prospect that appears to have grown into his abundant power and plate discipline well. He projects to be a first baseman type, however, the inevitable onset of the universal DH and the Mets lack of apprehension to play guys out of position, making him a fine fit with the Mets.
In recompense to losing Beer, the Mets could include Domenic Smith in the deal. He is a more accomplished version of Beer and still has four seasons of control remaining. Being left-handed will provide even more balance to the offense of Houston.
Forrest Whitley is easily the most coveted of the Astros prospects and simply must be dealt if they truly want Syndergaard at this juncture. He has ace potential due to an arsenal of five pitches, which some scouts have labeled as the best in the minors. The Mets would lose some experience, but gain multiple years of control in this swap.
Syndergaard’s fickle career allows Whitely to step right in and basically provide the same forecast in 2020. It can be argued that Whitley has more potential, yet Syndergaard can be shaped into a dominant ace if he can pick up the spin rate laden fastball that has become a signature feature of Houston and Brent Strom.
The New York Mets would require a pitcher in return, as Wheeler and Vargas are on their way out of Queens and Syndergaard remains the only other starter besides Jacob deGrom– with Steven Matz apparently heading to the bullpen. Anthony Kay could possibly make the team’s rotation next season and Walker Lockett remains a distinct possibility, as well. Therefore, a Syndergaard replacement should be the principle return, as that would leave only one hole in the rotation.
If the second-best pitching prospect of the Astros- Corbin Martin– was healthy a trade would be much more easily come by here. However, Tommy John struck once again and this unlikely yet riveting trade has become the only real possibility for the two clubs in the time being.