Yesterday, our colleagues over at Bleacher Report published an article on potential landing spots for New York Mets starter Noah Syndergaard…and the first team that they listed was the Colorado Rockies.
If you’ve watched or heard anything about the Colorado Rockies in 2018 (and presumably, you have if you are reading this right now), you know that, essentially, the Rockies entire pitching staff has struggled, with the exception of Adam Ottavino. Whether it’s the bullpen imploding, the starters being inconsistent and not being able to get out of the fifth inning, they have been a big disappointment.
In the first part of the season, it was the offense but lately, they have been the reason for the team’s struggles.
This is part of the reason why we here at Rox Pile, among other outlets, have discussed some possible trades that the Rockies could/should make before the trade deadline that involve their pitching. However, one target that we have not mentioned is Mets starter Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard is being brought up as a trade piece because the Mets have struggled, as the Rockies have, in the past six to eight weeks.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report published an article about some places that are the best matches for Syndergaard and the first team he mentioned was the Rockies.
But before we delve into that, what are Syndergaard’s stats?
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This season, Syndergaard is 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 11 starts. He is walking less than two walks per nine innings while striking out nearly 11 per nine innings. His WHIP is 1.175 and he has an excellent FIP of 2.54.
His best season in his young career was in 2016, when he was 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA in 31 appearances (30 starts). His ERA+ was 155, a NL leading 2.29 FIP, a 1.149 WHIP, a NL leading 0.5 home runs allowed per nine innings, 2.1 walks per nine innings, and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He was an All-Star, came in 8th in the NL Cy Young Award voting, and 19th in NL MVP voting.
He was injured in 2017 so he only made 7 starts due to a torn right lat muscle.
He is also on the DL right now with a strained ligament in his right index finger so he is, obviously, a bit injury prone, which is not great. He isn’t scheduled to be back until the beginning of July.
So that’s what makes the potential package even steeper.
Reuter opines that he thinks that this would be a likely package for Syndergaard.
- SS Brendan Rodgers (No. 1 prospect in the Rockies system, No. 10 in MLB prospect list)
- RHP Peter Lambert (No. 3 in COL, No. 94 in MLB)
- C Dom Nunez (No. 21 in COL)
- RHP Robert Tyler (No. 24 in COL)
For me personally, I don’t think that the Rockies would be willing to give all of that up for Syndergaard. Is he great? Yes. Is he worth two of their three best prospects? No, especially when he is injury prone.
Plus, is Syndergaard really the piece that will put the Rockies over the top and get them to the World Series? If the way they’ve played lately is any proof, they will need more than just Syndergaard.
Next: But should the Rockies trade for one of Syndergaard's teammates
He would provide the Rockies with a top of the rotation arm for years to come but with that steep of a cost, being injury prone, and the all too obvious Coors Field drawback for pitchers, I don’t think that the Rockies are, or should, trade for Syndergaard.