Tom Verducci
5 questions for...
Q: Would it be shocking if the Yankees haven’t added a starting pitcher by the deadline?
A: Not shocking, but it’d be disappointing for the Yankees. They are in a position where they don’t have to make a move, but they want to make a move. For me, the guys who stand out are Matthew Boyd and Mike Minor: lefthanded, swing-and-miss stuff, controllable through next year. They fit the parameters of what the Yankees are looking for.
Q: How do you expect the Mets to approach this next week?
A: They are not going to get a whole lot for a rental starting pitcher, but I think there’s a decent market for Zack Wheeler. … I wouldn’t put it past them to at least consider options on Noah Syndergaard. He’s not a guy I would actively look to trade, but in a market where a lot of teams are looking for starting pitching, I’d take the opportunity for teams to get me their best offer.
Q: Is there pressure on Brodie Van Wagenen to get a win now given how poor his offseason moves look?
A: Yes, but his motivation can’t be to win the PR war because that’s how he’s going to make another mistake. If he’s worried about public criticism or winning back Mets fans, that would be a mistake. That’s not why you make a deal.
Q: What is it like covering the deadline?
A: It’s really exciting because you go in with expectations of who may be traded and you’re always surprised. The surprise factor is what I love best about it. You prepare for it, you think some people should be moved and then it seems there is something that happens every year that you didn’t see coming. I am expecting more activity now that there is no more safety net in August. That should inspire teams to be more aggressive. Especially with the wild-card races so deep you have a lot of teams in play where one deal may make the difference between having a playoff game or not. Those ingredients to me indicate it could be a very active trade deadline. I do think it’s a good thing. In the past a lot of teams would defer their decision to August, but now they are forced to get things done. Q: Any particular surprise stand outs to you? A: It was an August deal, but the (Justin) Verlander trade was one that I don’t think any of us really expected. A lot of the deals we don’t know are really interesting deals till after the fact. In 2016, the Astros got Yordan Alvarez from the Dodgers for Josh Fields, a middle reliever. I don’t know if we talked about that at all because it seemed like such a minor deal at the time and now Alvarez seems like such a monster hitter. It was a fantastic deal. That’s part of the appeal of deadline day because there is usually an under-the-radar prospect that could wind up being a steal for somebody.