3 pitchers who can serve as upgrades to Noah Syndergaard

Max Scherzer

I know this is unrealistic. Scherzer was very clear at the trade deadline that he only wanted to go out west. However, I don't think it's impossible that his mind can be changed. After all, money talks. And the Mets have lots of it.

Max Scherzer is the perfect fit for this Mets rotation. This season he re-established himself as one of the games best after a shaky 2020 campaign. He went 15-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 30 starts with the Nationals and Dodgers.

After being traded to Los Angeles, Scherzer went 7-0 with a 1.98 ERA in 11 starts. As the season went on, when the stakes were higher, Scherzer was at his best.

He's most definitely a top five pitcher in the game currently and would be the baseball's best number two starter.

For a rotation that suffered through a lot of injuries this past season, including to Jacob deGrom, getting an iron man like Scherzer would be massive. He's made 30+ starts every season since 2009 except the shortened 2020 season and in 2019.

Scherzer has extensive playoff experience as well. He won a World Series championship with the Nationals in 2019, starting in Game 7, gutting out five innings after being injured before that start.

Scherzer was the Dodgers choice to pitch in the Wild Card Game this season and allowed just one run in the victory. Having a guy with so much postseason experience would be huge for a team that lacks much of it.

Replacing Syndergaard with a pitcher who's durable and better sure seems like the perfect place to start.

Kevin Gausman

Kevin Gausman is an arm I am on the fence about. For most of his career he was just an arm on a bad Orioles team eating innings.

Since heading to San Francisco, it seems like everything changed. Gausman put up a 3.62 ERA in 10 starts during the shortened season. In that season, he struck out 11.9 batters per nine, walking just 2.4 And he only allowed 1.2 HR/9. He posted a 3.09 FIP showing that his lowered ERA really wasn't a fluke.

In 2021, he had his best season yet. Gausman was an All-Star for the first time. He went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 33 starts. He struck out 10.6 batters per nine, and only allowed 0.9 HR/9. Gausman finished sixth in the National League Cy Young voting and will get paid in free agency.

However, there are some red flags. Gausman's first half and second half were very different. In the first half, Gausman went 9-3 with a 1.78 ERA in 18 starts. In 15 second-half starts, his ERA ballooned to 4.42.

Gausman allowed 64 hits in 114.2 innings pitched in the first half. In the second half, he allowed 86 hits in 77.1 innings pitched. He went from allowing 50 fewer hits than innings pitched to 9 more hits than innings pitched.

While that's not great, his strikeout rate actually improved in the second half from 10.4 K/9 to 10.9 K/9. One reason Gausman really improved was because of how successful his splitter was. He had a 45.9% swing and miss rate on that pitch in 2021 and is key to his success.

Overall, I believe there is definitely some risk with Kevin Gausman, but he's shown an ability to at the bare minimum eat innings and if he can improve or repeat what he did in 2021, that will almost certainly be an upgrade over Noah Syndergaard.

Sonny Gray

The Reds are expected to sell hard this offseason, and the Mets should be inquiring about three of their starters.

Luis Castillo is the guy I'd want them to get the most, but that's going to be very tough. Tyler Mahle is also a guy who is available, but is going to be harder to trade for. The guy I believe who makes the most sense is Sonny Gray.

Sonny Gray is a name that I'm sure people will not want the Mets to get. This is because of his tenure with the Yankees. He struggled in the Bronx and because of that, he's been labeled as someone who can't pitch in New York.

I don't believe that is the case at all. After being traded by the Yankees to the Reds, Gray cited his struggles due to the Yankees forcing him to throw a ton of sliders. Since getting to Cincinnati, Gray has relied on a cutter which has been a huge pitch for him.

This season was a down year for Gray as he battled through injuries and only made 26 starts. In those starts, Gray went 7-9 with a 4.19 ERA.

In 2019, the last full season before this one, Gray was an All-Star, going 11-8 with a 2.87 ERA. He finished 7th in the Cy Young voting and had a remarkable year in one of the best hitters parks in the game.

While pitching in a very hitter friendly park, Gray was able to keep the ball in the yard. He's allowed 0.9, 0.6, and 1.3 HR/9 respectively in his three seasons as a Red.

While keeping the ball in the ballpark, Gray has struck out over 10 batters per nine in each of his three seasons as a Red. His walks are an issue that needs to be addressed, but overall Gray has the makings of being an elite starter in this league. he's done it before, I see no reason why he can't do it again if he stays healthy.

Gray is a starter who has pitched to a 2.95 ERA in 4 career postseason starts, and has been a two-time all-star. Gray is set to make $10.2 million-dollars this season and has a $12 million-dollar team option for next season.

The 32 year old is likely to get traded while his value is still high and he has more than one year guaranteed on his deal. I believe the Mets should really inquire and see what they'd have to give up as the prices for free agent starters continue to rise.

If Noah Syndergaard is able to get $21 million-dollars after pitching two innings in two seasons, there's no question that Gray's contract is a steal.

His ceiling might not be as high, but his floor far surpasses Syndergaard's which is why I believe he'd be an upgrade as the best-case scenario for Syndergaard seems unlikely in his first season back from a major injury.