Noah Syndergaard will make his MLB debut tonight for the New York Mets as they square off against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Is it crazy to think the prospect pitcher might end up with Chicago if the Mets become desperate for a shortstop?
Throughout the offseason trade rumors surrounded the Mets because many suspected the club needed a shortstop and Wilmer Flores wouldn't be able to fill that role effectively. Well, the 23-year-old isn't off to the greatest start this season: he's batting .242/.296/.418 with 14 runs scored, 4 home runs and 10 RBIs on top of making seven errors in 26 games at shortstop.
On the other hand, although the Cubs managed to sign ace Jon Lester during the offseason, their starting rotation still needs work. The inconsistencies of Travis Wood and Kyle Hendricks may force president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer to explore the trade market, especially if the club is in a position to contend for the postseason by July.
"The Cubs, after all, probably need to acquire more front-line pitching to go with all of their young position players, and the Mets almost certainly need more offense," writes John Harper for the New York Daily News.
"'They both need what the other has in surplus,' was the way one long-time major league scout put it Monday. 'I think they'll both get to a point where they'll realize it's the best way to take the next step in what they're building.'"
The Mets have plentiful starting pitching and the Cubs possess an arsenal of middle infielders, which, on the surface, make the two ideal trade partners.
But what exactly would a Mets-Cubs pitcher-for-shortstop swap look like?
"Though Sandy Alderson said all winter that he had no intention of trading Syndergaard, sources with knowledge of the GM's thinking say he asked the Cubs more than once about the availability of Addison Russell, knowing almost certainly it would have taken Syndergaard to make such a deal," added Harper.
"Because the Cubs repeatedly said they weren't trading Russell, their highly-acclaimed shortstop prospect, talks never got serious with the Mets."
The Cubs don't rank too far ahead of the Mets in offensive production (18th in runs scored vs. 23rd in runs scored), but defense in the middle infield is also an issue for New York. The pitching is where the glaring differences are present: Chicago ranks 21st in ERA and New York ranks third. The problem is that it's unlikely the Cubs will part ways with Russell, since they acquired him last July and he's already a contributor. It's more likely they consider moving Starlin Castro, but right now it doesn't look like they'd be open to moving either of them because of the way they're playing.
"In any case, the Cubs will get a good look at Syndergaard, while the same can be said for the Mets regarding Russell, who is playing second base since being recalled from Triple-A two weeks ago.
"Big picture, both teams are on the rise after years of rebuilding, but both need to become more complete. That's why a trade could still be viable at some point," finished Harper.
Right now a trade isn't likely, but it's something to consider as time goes on especially since Syndergaard is making his debut tonight and Russell will continue to face challenging pitching this week.