New York Mets trade rumors that never came to fruition this year
Plenty of New York Mets trade rumors swirled over the last 365 days. These three never became true.
Over the last couple of seasons, the New York Mets have been involved in their share of trade rumors. Just about everyone from Jacob deGrom down to the 25th man on the roster has been mentioned at some point. These trades include some of their direct competitors such as the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees.
Several of these moves could have put the franchise into a complete rebuild. Others would have put the team all-in for the year.
In the Brodie Van Wagenen Era, these are three notable trades the Mets didn’t make.
More than a blockbuster rental with the Yankees
Trading Noah Syndergaard to the New York Yankees would have been historic. These two teams rarely make deals of any kind. To get someone as talented and popular as Syndergaard in a trade would have made it a deal no one would ever forget; for better or worse.
With the Yankees poised to have a deep playoff run, this trade could have turn out to be a real downer for Mets fans. If Syndergaard went on to have an illustrious career with the Boys in the Bronx, it would have been a huge embarrassment for the Mets front office. We can credit this as a major reason why the deal never became more than rumors.
While a potential trade involving Syndergaard may still happen in the future, one to the Yankees seems unlikely.
Fishing for another Marlins catcher
Former Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto eventually found his way to the Philadelphia Phillies last winter. Before he did, the Mets were one of the teams rumored to have interest.
At the time, I thought it was possible. Personally, I did not want to see Michael Conforto or Brandon Nimmo leave because they are two men I consider to be “our guys.” They grew up in the system. I want to see them move forward in New York.
On the other hand, I wanted the Mets to finally take the next step and pick up a player who could carry them and get them into playoff contention. Realmuto may have been this level of player.
The loss of Conforto or Nimmo would have been a real tug on the heart of Mets fans. Add in the possibility of Amed Rosario going to Miami, this was a potential blockbuster we never saw happen.
Mets sell at deadline day
At the trade deadline, Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen picked up Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays for a pair of pitching prospects. Fans were shocked and confused until they accepted reality: the Mets were prepared to try and win this year.
Prior to this deal, there was plenty of speculation about where the team might trade Zack Wheeler and a few other notable Mets players. Well, they never did.
For the first time since 2016, the Mets were trade deadline buyers this past summer. It was a nice change of pace after two straight years of selling.
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Whether you agree with it or not, the decision to buy instead of sell gave us meaningful baseball for longer than we expected.