Noah Syndergaard wants to be a ‘Met for life,’ but is that possible?
Though there’s no real urgency surrounding Noah Syndergaard’s status with the New York Mets — he’s under team control through — fans can take solace in the fact the 23-year-old star has no intentions of leaving the city.
Speaking to the New York Daily News this week, Syndergaard made it clear that he views New York as his home and wants to be a ‘Met for life.’
“When I came here for the (2013) Futures Game we went to Times Square and I thought it was amazing. Being from a small-town I’d never seen anything like it and I wanted to come back,” Syndergaard said. “Now, I’ve had a chance to broaden my horizons from Time Square and explore more of the city.”
“I love it here,” Syndergaard said by phone Thursday. “I had some time after the season and I wanted to just experience all I could of it. I wanted to do things I couldn’t do in the season and I am having a lot of fun.”
“I want to be a Met for life,” Syndergaard said. “I love it.”
The Mets success in 2015 and their future outlook with a rotation built around incredible pitching — including Syndergaard himself, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and even Zack Wheeler — likely enhances the experience. One has to be happy where they live to find fulfillment, but in the competitive sports landscape winning and being set up to continue winning provides its own level of comfort.
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The Mets have those two key components covered, but there’s also the reality that keeping the rotation intact will be difficult given the financial outlook. Assuming Harvey, deGrom and Syndergaard continue on their 2015 path, the Mets won’t be able to afford keeping them all around and continue filling other positions with major league talent. As their talents blossom and their salaries increase, so too does the possibility of one being traded, and maybe more if Matz and Wheeler come along as expected.
It’s a good problem to have if the Mets get to that point, but those are tough decisions to make. Especially with talents you’ve grown with and developed, and talents who have expressed a desire to stay for the long haul. In life, you don’t pick a favorite in child. In baseball, for all intents and purposes, that’s exactly what owners, general managers, managers and scouts frequently do.
As it goes, Syndergaard’s name has already been thrown around numerous times. There were reports during the postseason that GM Sandy Alderson considered dealing Syndegaard to the Chicago Cubs for young shortstop Addison Russell. There’s already been speculation this offseason that Alderson could move Syndergaard or another starter to bring back an offensive piece. Nothing that’s gained significant ground or put anyone on edge yet, but those rumors will linger until a move is ultimately made.
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As much as Syndegaard wants to be a Met for life, the reality is it may be more likely he’s already thrown his last pitch for them than it is he’ll be wearing that uniform even 4-5 years years down the road. That doesn’t mean anything is etched in stone one way or the other, but doors close and things change around MLB quickly, making it near impossible for anyone to get comfortable.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
