Holding aces
Noah prefers Mets hang onto Amazin’ pitching rotation
Noah Syndergaard knows he will be getting the ball in The Bronx for the first time in his career Friday night. His and the Mets’ future beyond that is largely uncertain.
But if it were up to him, the stud right-hander would like to keep the core rotation together beyond this season to take another run at contending. That plan would include AllStar Jacob deGrom, who said this week he would like to sign an extension with the club, and, if not, his agent said it might be best for the Mets to explore a trade.
“I think it would be huge because, from the moment I was with the Mets, we’ve always preached about our pitching staff,” Syndergaard said Thursday at his Citi Noah Syndergaard Baseball ProCamp in Wayne, N.J. “If one of our main pieces were to go to a different team, then I’m not really sure what we’d be able to go off of.”
DeGrom is signed through 2020 and the Mets have Syndergaard locked up through 2021. There has been speculation about both being trade chips, along with Zack Wheeler (signed through 2019) and Steven Matz (2021), as the Mets try to build for future success ahead of the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.
Assistant general manager John Ricco has said the Mets are open to discussing deGrom and Syndergaard in deals, but it would take an “overwhelming” offer for it to happen. That hasn’t made the countdown to the deadline any easier for those currently on the roster.
“I haven’t really been in this kind of situation before, so I’m not really sure how to describe what the future entails, especially because I’m not sure where we are as a team standpoint right now,” Syndergaard said. “From where we are right now this season, I don’t know if we’re going to become sellers or buyers or — I try to stay away from all that talk.
“I don’t know what the pitching staff ’s going to look like at the end of the year based on all this trade talk. But we’re still the New York Mets, we still have the charisma the New York Mets carry. We’re going to go out there and try to play competitive baseball.”
Syndergaard reiterated Thursday that he loves New York and “hopefully I can stay a Met for the remainder of my career.”
In the short term, Syndergaard was itching to get back on the mound Friday to kick off the Subway Series.
“I’m thrilled,” he said at the camp, where he helped coach more than 200 kids through baseball drills. “It hasn’t been the easiest this year in terms of where we are and me missing six weeks with a finger issue.”
Syndergaard missed the first series against the Yankees last month at Citi Field, still on the disabled list with a strained ligament in his index finger. He was sidelined for both series in 2017 with a partial tear of his right lat, and in 2016 did not line up to face them.
The only time Syndergaard has pitched against the Yankees was as a rookie in 2015, when he gave up five runs over six innings at Citi Field. The only holdovers from the Yankees lineup he likely will see again Friday are Brett Gardner, Greg Bird and Didi Gregorius.
“That team is very talented, and I haven’t had the opportunity to go out there and face guys like [Aaron] Judge or Aaron Hicks or Gleyber Torres. I’ve faced Stanton, but that was when he was wearing a Marlins uniform,” said Syndergaard, who has held Stanton hitless in 11 at-bats. “Especially at their home turf, they’re really good there. But I just gotta be able to go out there and execute my pitches and everything will fall in place.”