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New York Mets: Ranking the top four extension candidates

By Ryan Schlachter

BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 02: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets gets ready to bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 2, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 02: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets gets ready to bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 2, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

A favorite with the fans and a force on the mound, a return from Tommy John shouldn’t stop the Mets from extending Noah Syndergaard

It’s worth imagining what the 2020 season would’ve looked like for the New York Mets if Noah Syndergaard wasn’t the victim of a torn UCL last year. It’s also worth more to imagine “Thor” in blue and orange for a long, long time.

Brought over from the Blue Jays in the famous R.A. Dickey trade, Noah Syndergaard instantly captured the fans’ hearts with both his fastball and his twitter fingers. The magnetic personality of Noah compliments his electric stuff. The hurler averaged a fastball velocity of 99.5 MPH in the 2017 season and offers a big-hook curveball that was donned the “hook from hell” by former Mets manager Terry Collins.

I wrote early last winter that the Mets should extend Syndergaard this offseason and it remains even truer today. 2020 exposed the lack of pitching depth for the Mets possessed and having consistent arms in the rotation is a necessity for any successful organization. Given the drastic leap forward the Mets have taken into contender status, it would wise to lock up Syndergaard. Much like with Lindor, Thor would be the prized possession amongst a bevy of big name pitchers, albeit older ones. Max Scherzer, Zach Greinke, Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, and Johnny Cueto will be free agents, but none of them, with the exception of Kershaw, are below the age of 36.

There will be many more options for starting pitchers than this year’s class, but you could argue that Noah is the most appealing of the bunch. This season will be a huge indication of what kind of deal Syndergaard would net in the offseason, but the Mets should try to extend him before he throws a pitch.

With Carlos Carrasco being under contract for the next three years and Jacob deGrom under contract until 2025, the Mets should capitalize on having a strong, consistent starter in their rotation that’s still under 30 to ensure a formidable starting front to complement their elite offense.

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