The Mets Somehow Made a Classic Mets Move in Trading for Marcus Stroman
By Ryan Giglio
The New York Mets are at it again.
The only problem is that nobody seems to know exactly what they're doing.
General manager Brodie Van Wagenen continued to confuse observers with his Sunday afternoon trade for Toronto Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman. In return, the Blue Jays acquired minor league pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods-Richardson.
At this moment, the Mets may have one of the best starting rotations on paper. However, with the "hard" MLB trade deadline less than 72 hours away, the key phrase in that statetement is "At this moment."
The Amazins have been littered all over the news regarding potential trades leading up to the deadline. They may trade away potential free agent starters Zack Wheeler and Jason Vargas. They may acquire Robbie Ray of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They may trade away closer (and key offseason acquisition) Edwin Diaz.
The Stroman trade may have telegraphed the Mets' intentions with righty Noah Syndergaard, another player curiously on the trade block for New York.
As #Mets and #Padres continue discussing Noah Syndergaard, source says it’s clear San Diego will not include MacKenzie Gore in the trade — especially after the Stroman deal did not include a top 100 prospect per @MLBPipeline. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 29, 2019
Several teams like the Padres, Astros and Yankees are interested in trading for Syndergaard, and many feel that Van Wagenen will flip "Thor" to replenish the farm system.
If the Stroman trade is meant to help the Mets' Wild Card chances in 2019, however, more moves must be made to add to the current roster. The bullpen could use an arm or two, and improvements must be made to their atrocious defense.
Many would think that a team with a bad infield defense would not be a good fit for pitcher who induces a plethroa of ground balls. Yet, the Mets, a team with a bad defense all over the diamond, added a "ground ball machine" in Stroman.
Rival evaluators noting: Stroman is a ground ball machine, and the Mets have what is statistically the worst infield defense in the majors.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 28, 2019
Adding the 28-year-old Stroman, who is under contract through the 2020 season, is a move that signals the Mets want to win sooner rather than later. Trading away Syndergaard, 26 and signed through the 2021 campaign, would in turn send mixed signals about potentially competing this year and next.
We won't know what the Mets' plan is until the deadline passes at 4 p.m. EST on Wednesday, but the pressure is on Van Wagenen to prove that he really does know what he's doing.