Mets news you may have missed: MLB Rankings, Trades, and Retirement

As ballclubs around the league gear up for the 2021 season, the road to the postseason begins for the New York Mets with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to training camp on February 17.

For reasons apart from the coronavirus pandemic, this offseason has been unlike any that Mets fans have experienced in quite some time: They met their new owner, reaped the benefits of a blockbuster trade to bring in superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor, and bolstered their roster in ways that the old guard would never have considered, let alone deliver.

With so much going on in Mets-land for a change, a few headlines were bound to get lost in the shuffle. So let’s take a look at what Mets news you may have missed from this past week.

Mets News: deGrom crowned, Matz traded, Bauer on the way?

While New York Yankees Ace, Gerrit Cole holds the highest AAV contract for a starting pitcher in baseball, it remains a hefty price for the second-best pitcher in baseball. On January 29, MLB Network’s The Shredder ranked Jacob deGrom as the No. 1 pitcher in baseball with his Yankee counterpart clocking in at No. 2.

Meanwhile, after years of decline from LHP Steven Matz, and no clear signs of improvement, the new front office decided to cut their losses and trade the Long Island native to the Toronto Blue Jays, bringing back three young arms in the deal to help replenish their farm system.

The former second-round pick out of Ward Melville High School made his MLB debut for the Mets in the midst of their incredible 2015 season. Although Matz never found his form on the mound, the southpaw’s overall class and support of his fellow teammates helped earn him the respect of the fanbase.

While I can’t speak for all Mets fans, the one writing this article certainly wishes him the best of luck in turning his career around in Toronto.

But perhaps the most consequential news out of this past week – could Trevor Bauer be on the way? Aside from his suspenseful tweets this offseason, there hasn’t been much reporting as to where Bauer will actually land. The latest scoop has him pegged for a spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation or right here, in Flushing, Queens.

There’s no question that adding Bauer would bolster the club’s starting rotation, transforming them into an elite staff overnight.

However, it should not be done at the expense of restricting the Mets monetarily with regard to extending Michael Conforto, Francisco Lindor, and Noah Syndergaard or Marcus Stroman before next offseason.

The Mets front office needs to think about this, and whichever route they move in needs to ensure they can retain the stars on their roster first.