If the first day of Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings was too slow for you, the prospect of a blockbuster deal involving the New York Yankees, Mets, and Miami Marlins provided plenty of consolation.
On Monday night, the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that the Mets instigated talks of a possible three-team trade in which they would land All-Star catcher JT Realmuto from the Marlins. The Yankees would be in on the deal to facilitate things.
While there have been rumors that the Yankees are asking for Mets star pitcher Noah Syndergaard in return, it hasn’t been confirmed. The Mets’ latest known stance on Syndergaard saw general manager Brodie Van Wagenen allude to the fact that they would not trade the 26-year-old right-hander.
“We’re not going to create a hole by filling another,” he said at Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz’s introductory press conference last week.
Previous talks between the Mets and Marlins regarding Realmuto saw Miami ask for one young MLB-ready player like Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo or Amed Rosario, along with the organization’s top prospect in Andres Gimenez, among others.
The Yankees continue to be active on the market in search of one more pitcher that will make their starting rotation into one of the best in baseball. After acquiring James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners, the Yankees lost out on Patrick Corbin and Nathan Eovaldi in free agency. They’ve been linked to the likes of Syndergaard and Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber to join an already-strong rotation that features Paxton, Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia.
Not only might there be hesitation from the Mets to help their crosstown rivals become a more serious World Series contender, but giving up Syndergaard would create a sizeable void in a starting rotation that has an imposing top-three in the righty nicknamed “Thor,” NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, and the ever-improving Zack Wheeler.
The catcher’s spot is a large area of concern, regardless, for the Mets, as they are poised to move on from the ineffective duo of Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki. D’Arnaud was believed to be the centerpiece of a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2012 that sent R.A. Dickey up North, but the add-in that was Syndergaard turned out to be the largest prize.
If Van Wagenen were able to acquire Realmuto and keep Syndergaard to keep the rotation intact, the Mets will continue their ascent as one of the favorites to win the NL East.
