Mets Blew it by Not Trading Noah Syndergaard During Summer of 2019

On July 31, 2019, the Mets sat at 52-55, 11 games behind the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves. The direction the organization took was confusing, as even if the Mets somehow made a late run, it was highly unlikely that they'd manage any kind of competitive stand in the playoffs. The right move was to sell off assets at the MLB trade deadline, including Noah Syndergaard.

Instead, perhaps lured by the possibility of sneaking in to the second Wild Card spot in the National League, the Mets stood pat, not relinquishing any key pieces and leaning into a rebuild. Now, with the recent news that Syndergaard will require Tommy John surgery for a torn ligament in his elbow, the Mets may have blown their best chance to add notable value. And that's something they ought to regret.

While Thor will only be 28 when he returns in 2021, plenty of teams would be hesitant to give up much talent to acquire someone who may never hit 100 on the radar gun again. Every pitcher has a different recovery path after undergoing Tommy John; there's just no telling how Syndergaard will respond when he begins to bounce back.

That's why the Mets needed to move him ahead of the 2019 trade deadline when his value was still high. They almost had a solid agreement in place from the San Diego Padres, but they ultimately felt that GM Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets were asking for too much. No other team gave comparable offers, so Sydergaard remained with the Mets.

The rest is history.

That decision to hold onto Thro may come back to haunt this team if Syndergaard cannot reclaim his past form. Van Wagenen decided to test his luck, and that choice ultimately blew up in his face. Now, the franchise is left wondering how much stronger they'd be today if they made the tough but defensible choice to pull the trigger on a trade last summer.