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Five bold MLB trades that can transform a franchise

By Manny Gómez

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 26: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels talks to Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 26, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 26: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels talks to Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox before a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 26, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Five Transformative MLB Trades

Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets

Noah Syndergaard (aka “Thor”) has made it difficult for the New York Mets to keep him around moving forward, especially after his latest stunt earlier this week. According to The New York Posts’ Joel Sherman and Kevin Kernan, Syndergaard was “livid” with Mets bosses for not appealing to his request not to throw to catcher Wilson Ramos.

This, according to the piece, led to a confrontation with Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen. In fairness, Syndergaard does perform much worse when Ramos is behind the plate. In fact, in 15 starts with Ramos catching Syndergaard has a 5.09 ERA. By comparison, in 10 starts with Tomas Nido catching Thor’s ERA drops to 2.45.

What’s worse, the Mets could have made adjustments to appease Syndergaard considering that they don’t use the same catcher in day games after night games, but the team chose not to. This, paired with the pitcher’s name used in trade rumors throughout the 2019 MLB season could be an indicator that Thor’s time with the Mets could be coming to an end.

Considering that Syndergaard is still arbitration-eligible and won’t be a free agent until the 2022 season, the team might be looking for relief help as well as top prospects.

Realistic MLB Trades

  • Houston Astros – Not only can the ‘Stros afford Syndergaard, but they also have $148M committed in payroll next season ($60M below the luxury tax threshold). In return, Houston can return to the New York Mets top-level pitching prospects and potentially even a player like Josh Reddick, who has one year left on his deal at $13M.
  • Cincinnati Reds – Currently, the Reds have $63M committed in payroll for 2020. What’s more, they have the 6th ranked farm system in baseball, according to Bleacher Report. Having a better run differential than a team in playoff contention in the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds have to get better at run prevention. Adding Thor to a rotation that features Luis Castillo and a resurgent Sonny Gray could potentially catapult the Reds to the top of the NL Central in 2020.
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