The Winter Meetings are underway, and things are already starting to heat up. Now it looks like there’s a chance for the Yankees to upgrade their pitching staff.
After missing out on Nathan Eovaldi, and choosing to trade for James Paxton over Corey Kluber, it’s time for the Yankees to revisit the idea of dealing for Noah Syndergaard.
It seems redunant at this point, and the Mets have been hesitant to field offers for either Syndergaard or Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Trading for Robinson Cano and putting forth the impression that they will compete in the NL East in 2019 also kinks the potential Syndergaard-to-Yankees pipeline
Should a deal happens, as unlikely as it may seem now, it won’t come cheap for the Yankees as Syndergaard when healthy is one of the better pitchers in the big leagues. Not to mention Realmuto is also a high quality player so wherever any of these players end up it won’t come easy for the recipient.
The good news for the Yankees is that they have the assets to acquire a talent like Syndergaard. With their pursuit of Manny Machado, they could afford to part ways with third baseman Miguel Andujar. They also have Estevan Florial, although the Yankees may not be willing to part with him. They also have a handful of above-average pitching prospects that could be used in a potential deal.
The biggest hurdle the Yankees would probably run in to is the fact that this whole thing would be incumbent on the Mets actually sending their second best pitcher across town.
Syndergaard was relatively healthy last season pitching 154 1/3 innings last season with a 3.03 ERA. When he’s healthy he’s about as dominant as it gets, but that’s been the issue the last couple seasons. He’s only 26 which would be right up the Yankees alley of their youth movement.
The Mets have previously stated that they would have to be blown away by any offer in order to deal him. Maybe they’ve lowered their standards just enough for the Yankees to make a run at him.
A rotation with Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Noah Syndergaard is not a rotation to be trifled with. If there’s a way to get it done, and the price is right the Yankees may not hesitate to pull the trigger.