Mets Trade Rumors: Corey Kluber acquisition would restructure the franchise

Recent New York Mets trade rumors have mentioned the possibility of Corey Kluber going to Flushing. Is it all bark or is there some bite to this rumor?

A bombshell dropped on Saturday night when New York Mets trade rumors included a brand new name and former Cy Young winner. In a winter where we didn’t expect to see a new starting pitcher join the roster, the Mets apparently discussed the topic of Corey Kluber with the Cleveland Indians.

According to Mark Feinsand, the Mets checked in with the Indians about Kluber, possibility with the intention of acquiring him. The plan could possibly involve the acquisition of Kluber either before or after trading Noah Syndergaard elsewhere to fill other needs. One of those needs may be to replenish a farm system left even more barren after the completed trade with the Seattle Mariners.

I don’t like the idea of subtracting Syndergaard only to acquire Kluber. Many Mets trade rumors have suggested the chances of this happening. Kluber and Jacob deGrom in the same rotation together is dangerous. However, what the Mets would lose in a deal for the Indians’ ace may hurt them too badly.

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Perhaps the Mets would deal Syndergaard for prospects then flip some or all to Cleveland for Kluber. If so, I’m not sure what the point of this is.

Kluber is a better pitcher than Syndergaard, but he is older and more likely to regress. I like the thought of landing him. I suppose it all depends on the cost.

Last week, Rising Apple’s Leen Amin wrote a piece about how much adding Kluber would benefit the Mets. Her plan didn’t include trading Syndergaard. The focus was to build a truly unstoppable rotation and not just one with great potential like the Mets have done for the last several seasons.

From Cleveland’s perspective, it makes a little sense to swap Kluber for Syndergaard. They could plan to lock-up Thor long-term and keep their train rolling. I don’t quite get why they would make such a move as the American League Central is the worst division in baseball. They would serve themselves better by holding onto Kluber and filling other needs.

The Mets and Indians have a similar outlook for 2019. Each has a great starting rotation, questionable bullpen, and a few good bats sprinkled in the lineup with holes they need to fill. The major difference is Cleveland is trying to replace ones who left in free agency. The Mets never had confidence in several spots.

Seeing Kluber in a Mets’ uniform seems doubtful. The fact that they inquired about him means very little. My guess is he came up during the Yan Gomes discussions. Maybe all they did was make fun of him. That’s still a discussion, right?

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Because these two teams appear to have similar needs, among the Mets trade rumors, this one is all bark and no bite.