Yankees: Let's make a blockbuster trade with the Mets

Is it possible the baseball gods have aligned the stars for a Yankees Mets trade to occur for the sixteenth time since 1966? Since the Yankees need a stud starting pitcher, and the Mets need to bolster their farm system, it could happen.

On Friday morning, the NY Daily News published a John Harper article that many New York Mets fans cringe as he proposed that a deal with the Yankees makes sense. In his opinion, the Mets should shop starting pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard if they do not improve.

The immediate reaction for a large portion of fans from both sides are “The Mets would never trade with the Yankees to make them better,” or “Why would the Yankees want to help the Mets out?” Well, they’ve already made a deal this April.

Yeah, it was a minor league player swap. The Yankees acquired L.J. Mazzilli in exchange for Kendall Coleman, but it was a trade nonetheless. Yanks GM Brian Cashman is no stranger to making good value deals for his team. But maybe there was something more to this than a minor exchange.

All I’m saying is maybe April’s agreement with Mets GM Sandy Alderson was a handshake that could lead to a trading partnership moving forward. If a deal could help both sides and have both GM’s walk away happy, it would be a good deal, right?

Let’s examine why a deal between these two teams make sense.

The Yankees need another starting pitcher

I think the Yankees do need to make a deal for a starting pitcher, regardless if it’s with the Mets or not. The starting pitching staff has exceeded expectations during the first quarter of the season (minus Sonny Gray). So the team needs to be prepared for a performance correction.

What I mean by a “performance correction” is I am bearish on the starting staff heading into the second quarter. In other words, I don’t think they will remain second in the AL in ERA (3.68) and BAA (.244) for much longer unless they acquire a No. 1 or No. 2 starter.

As of right now, 24-year-old flamethrower phenom Luis Severino is the ace of the staff. He plans on throwing 200 innings this year, and this scares the living hell out of me. Sevy is the most valuable member of the Yankee pitching staff, and they will need him in October.

In the history of baseball, there aren’t many 100-mph fastball throwing starting pitchers who remain durable for the long-term for a reason. It would be smart for Cashman to acquire another innings-eating starting pitcher to provide relief for Sevy’s golden arm, and the Yankees bullpen.

Top-13 AL Starting Pitcher WAR

For you analytics aficionados, another reason why the Yankees need to add a starting pitcher is their starting staff’s WAR compared to their rivals in the league. Look at the Top-13 starting pitchers in WAR according to Fangraphs in the American League:

Justin Verlander HOU – 2.7
Gerrit Cole HOU – 2.7
Luis Severino NYY – 2.4
Chris Sale BOS – 1.9
Trevor Bauer CLE – 1.8
Rick Porcello BOS – 1.7
Mike Clevinger CLE – 1.5
James Paxton SEA – 1.4
Lance McCullers Jr. HOU – 1.2
Matt Boyd DET – 1.2
Charlie Morton HOU – 1.2
Corey Kluber CLE – 1.2
Carlos Carrasco CLE – 1.2

As you can see, the Yankees have one pitcher in the Top-13 while their rival opposition has more. The Houston Astros have three, the Boston Red Sox have two, and the Cleveland Indians have three. I’m pretty confident all three of these teams will make the postseason.

If the Yankees acquired Jacob deGrom from the Mets, they would acquire a starting pitcher with a WAR of 2.3. If they acquired Noah Syndergaard, they would acquire a starting pitcher with a WAR of 1.4. Either pitcher would improve the team’s staff immensely.

But what’s in it for the Mets? Well, a lot potentially.

The Mets need to improve their farm system

As of right now, the Atlanta Braves stand at the top of the NL East division. They also entered the season as Baseball America’s No. 1 ranked team in Organizational Talent for the second straight year. Unfortunately, Baseball America ranked the Mets as the No. 27 team in organizational talent.

I wrote a piece about the Braves during the preseason for Lifestyle Sports 101, and it was my first article featured on Bleacher Report (yes, that was a shameless promotion). They are young, hungry, and had nothing to lose entering the year. Much like the 2017 New York Yankees.

Speaking of the Yankees, they entered the season as Baseball America’s No. 2 ranked team in Organizational Talent. We could be reliving the 90’s baseball era where the Yankees and Mets dominated baseball for a decade. It was a period that had to be tough for Mets fans.

So I think it makes sense for both teams GM’s to pick up the phone and make a deal. For the Mets, it would make the most sense to shop Jacob deGrom. He is 29-years old, and he still has two years remaining of arbitration eligibility.

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The ace-caliber talent of deGrom and his team favorable contractual control could rightfully increase the asking price for him. And we know Cashman loves acquiring players he can still keep for a couple of seasons; that’s why he wanted Sonny Gray from the Athletics.

Age is a problem for the Mets

The Mets also entered the season as the fifth oldest team (29.06) in the NL. The Yankees on Opening Day were the youngest team (28.04) in the AL, and their roster did not include the 21-year-old Gleyber Torres or the 23-year-old Miguel Andujar.

With plenty of other Yankee prospects waiting to make their MLB arrival, their won’t be enough room to fit them all on the field or the active roster. Since the Yanks need starting pitching and have youth, and the Mets need youth and already have quality starting pitching, the verdict is clear.

Next: Yankees: UNINTERRUPTED ep. 3; Big C Gives Back

The Mets and Yankees should make a deal.

But what do you think? I would love to know what your opinion is. Vote below on my Twitter poll:

Should the #Yankees trade prospects to the #Mets in exchange for either Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard? #MLB
— Christopher Scott (@cjscott1193) May 19, 2018

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Yankees: Let’s make a blockbuster trade with the Mets