Should the Padres go after Trevor Bauer or Noah Syndergaard?
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Noah Syndergaard
The pitcher known as Thor was mentioned in trade rumors revolving around the Padres and the New York Mets last winter. Those rumors never amounted to anything.
As the season nears the July 31 trade deadline, those rumors are again picking up. Tim Healey of Newsday reported on July 10 that the Mets had discussed a Syndergaard trade with at least six teams, with one of those teams being San Diego.
Syndergaard has a 4.36 ERA through 19 starts (119.2 innings) so far in 2019. The Mets have a 45-54 record as of July 22. They are 14 games back in the National League East and are seven games back in the NL Wild Card standings. To say that the Mets’ season has fallen below expectations would be an understatement. This year has gone from bad to downright dysfunctional for the team from Queens. Manager Mickey Callaway berated a reporter after a baseball game earlier in the season, and reports surfaced earlier month that general manager Brodie Van Wagenen threw a chair during a heated meeting with his coaching staff.
With the Mets out of contention, teams have already begun to inquire about trades. It’s not likely that the Mets would trade Syndergaard, but a trade could be made if a team makes an offer that Van Wagenen just can’t refuse. Despite their woes, the Mets have every intention to try for contention again in 2020. Syndergaard is controllable through the 2021 season, so they’re in no rush to trade him.
Syndergaard is a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, exactly what the Padres are looking for. They want someone who can lead a rotation full of youngsters in the future. Acquiring him now would mean they have him through the next two seasons, and longer if they offer him an extension.
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However, the high price tag won’t make it easy. The Padres have plenty of prospect capital to make this trade happen but do they want to deal the prospects the Mets would want? Last winter, the Mets asked for Fernando Tatis, Jr., a player the Padres deemed untouchable. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a report saying the Mets asked for Mackenzie Gore. The Padres are not going to jeopardize their future by trading baseball’s No. 3 prospect for two-plus seasons of Noah Syndergaard. Gore is part of their blueprint for contention.
Add in the fact that Syndergaard has had issues staying on the mound since 2017, and this trade seems like more risk than it is worth. Earlier this season, he missed time with a hamstring strain. He was placed on the Injured List twice last season, once for a strained ligament in his right index finger and once for hand, foot and mouth disease. He missed more than half of the 2017 season with a partial lat tear.
The Padres still have things to do before becoming serious contenders, and finding a veteran pitcher to put at the front of the rotation remains at the top of the list. People around baseball will continue to watch what they do over the next week-and-a-half to see what moves they make to set themselves up for next season and beyond.
Mike is the sports editor for the Fayette Advertiser, and has been with East Village Times since 2015. His work has appeared on Bleacher Report. He is an avid Padres fan who is keeping the faith and trusting the process.
Neither, both have issues. Why not try for the Red’s Castillo?
They had Castillo but AJs medical deal killed that and had to send him back. Injury to insult the player the Reds sent to Mia for Castillo was Dan Straily after they picked him up off waiver from… the Padres. It’s would take Gore, Patino, Campusano and Abrams which should tell you he isn’t realistically available.
The moves we should be focusing on this deadline should be clearing up the 40-man roster and DUMPING MYERS. Our excess pitching has not reached full value yet, Lucchasi, Lauer, Erlin, and Logan Allen could fetch Matt Boyd level interest if we continue to give them innings between now and next July. It will also give us time to see what a Margot/Jasnkowski platoon, Urias at 2B, Mejia/Hedges at C will be serviceable or maybe even better than that. So consolidate a few mid-level prospects into players that fit our needs and give us options going forward for 2020.
Gerrit Cole should be the TOR pitcher we take a strong interest in this off-season. He ONLY cost money.
I agree with your outlook on what the Padres should do SDDon. Do not mortgage the future in order to win now!! Freeing up money should be a priority so that the Padres can sign Cole. If the Padres are looking to acquire a TOR starter via trade; they should set their sights on Castillo, Jon Gray, Sonny Gray, and Caleb Smith.
I’m with ya on the 40 man consolidation and would be the only reason to move anyone right now. Matt Boyd has had one really good year and hasn’t exactly been lighting it up lately. At best he’s a middle of a rotation arm w control with no track record and Det want a Sale/ Quintana type package. That’s a hard pass.
Bauer is quirky but he is very much a student of pitching, biomechanics and making adjustments. If they are targeting him Balsley must like what he’s doing and the impact he could also have on the rest of the staff. He’s the Manny Machado of pitchers so maybe he’s just misunderstood. As for his social media presence, nothing was said when Manny went on his rant about Plesac and Byrnes. For the right price I’d be down. Include Ty France and Esteury Ruiz to ease the money that would have to come with Wil. Send Joey Lucchesi and a Hansel Rodriguez or Jean Cosme type for Bauer. Boom done.
Padres should stand pat, and do nothing in the trade front until this Winter. The exception would be if they were overwhelmed by another team for Yates, could unload Myers, and/or a minor deal for Stammen since he’s a free agent after this year. It doesn’t look like they will contend for a wild card, so there’s no reason to have to make a trade.
Both would be worth adding, but it’s unlikely to happen. No on Bauer. Cleveland can’t trade him during a division title race. He can’t be signed to a extension so it’s 1.5 and done. Plus, any team that takes him on will be gambling on his head case reputation.
Syndergaard is more like it, but the Mets have a rep of being difficult and unrealistic when it comes to trades. You can’t restock another teams’ farm system for short term control of one injury-prone player. The Mets are like angry children. They can’t succeed on their own, so when they are forced to sell, they get insistent on “winning” any trade, not just receiving fair value. GM hell would be having to make all your big trades with the Mets or the Astros.
Doesn’t a healthy Garrett Richards plus Paddack, Gore, Lamet and Lucchesi make for a pretty robust rotation in ’20? Then you’d also have Quantrill, Lauer, Allen, Morejon as depth/ long guys not to mention Margevicius and Baez too all with MLB experience under their belts come next year. The price for Thor, Bauer and Stroman just seems too high. The Pads have depth upon depth. Just go with the horses they have…
Rob – Great thought process ! We already have top of the rotation guys, they just need their innings. Syndergaard – too fragile, Bauer – too flaky, Stroman – too weak. I though Garrett Richards was our big rotation guy. Isn’t that why we gave him $20 mil, so he could sit on the sideline this year ? We have the pitching and we need to hoard it.
Urias and Reyes for one year of Bauer? I think I would pass on that price.
It’s so ridiculous that Urias keeps popping up in trade rumors by all these reporters “because he’s blocked on the left side by Tatis”. Laughable that these reporters don’t do their homework and realize that he’s a Second Baseman who can be a back up to SS. Do your homework reporters!