Most Mets’ fans focus this spring, at least as pertains to the team’s starting pitching, has been on whether the club can agree to a long-term deal to prevent reigning Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom from reaching free agency after the 2020 season. Teammate Noah Syndergaard is a logical extension candidate in his own right, but as he explains to The Athletic’s Tim Britton (subscription link), there’s currently no discussion of a long-term pact.
“I trust my ability and the talent that I have,” says Syndergaard. “So I feel like I’m going to bet (on) myself in free agency and not do what [Aaron Nola and Luis Severino] did.”
Both Nola and Severino agreed to four-year contract extensions earlier this winter, though both did so at different points in their careers. While Nola and Syndergaard both have between three and four years of MLB service, Syndergaard already had one arbitration season and a $2.975MM salary under his belt given his Super Two status. Severino, meanwhile, was arb-eligible for the first time this winter as a Super Two player himself. As Britton explores at length, the $40-45MM guarantees on the Nola and Severino extensions would be too light for Syndergaard, who is already earning $6MM in 2019 and will be arb-eligible twice more before reaching free agency.
To be clear, Syndergaard hardly rules out the possibility of discussing a long-term deal, going on to explain that he is “always open” and would “of course” listen if the Mets approached him about a possible extension. That said, the 26-year-old’s confidence and willingness to go year-to-year are nevertheless notable. So, too, is the fact that the Mets’ current general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, represented Syndergaard at CAA before divesting himself from the agency upon being hired by the Mets. Certainly, Van Wagenen has an idea of what Syndergaard’s camp would seek in a deal (one of the many potential conflicts of interest that the league apparently deemed acceptable when approving his appointment to his current role).
I cant quite understand the lack of respect the mets seem to have for Syndergaard. He is young and is an exceptional talent.
They don’t trust that he can stay healthy for the long haul.
As a Mets fan it pisses me off. If the Yankees had both Defrom and Sy they would sign extensions
Why not? These 2 guys are unbelievable…what’s funny is how teams value prospects, then they make it and have success and the team seems to have a psychological letdown and dont seem to view them as being as valuable as they once did.
The value of the prospect is the 2 or 3 pre Arb years. Hoping to get elite production that would cost 20mil on the open market for 545,000 bucks. When they are on the wrong side of 30 and expensive, like DeGrom, hell yes the value algorithm has changed and it looks like the Mets don’t want to pay him for bad age 34 and up seasons. Thor is the one that doesn’t seem inclined to sign a deal so it’s odd to put that on the Mets. But fan boys do odd things
It has nothing to do with “respect”. For good or bad it is a practice the team does not follow. Lagares is the only exception I can think of… perhaps that may change under the new GM. But saying it has anything to do with respect is just silly.
guys who throw 100 in their 20’s tend to not throw 100 in their 30’s.
So he can’t get an extension then?
Given how his career has gone so far his agent probably wants 8 years 200 million to forego free agency. I wouldn’t give him anywhere near that.
The Mets have the worst ownership group in the 4 major US sports. They constantly pick the worst approach to things, whether it be PR moves, how they manage players, or simply how they communicate with their fan base.
Two words, Stan Kroenke. The Mets can’t possibly have the worst ownership group in the 4 major US sports so long as he still owns several teams.
This aint it
Stan is a shining example that all the other owners should follow. Sux he ditched St. Louis but at least he built his own palace and was still able to find the funds to put a winning team on the field
Hey Bartolo-you are making all of the squeaky Metsie fans really sad. They are prepared to defend the mother ship and point to Wagon Wheel as an example of reason for hope.
They are excited at old broken man Cano as if his stats hadn’t already peaked and he had been perfectly healthy the past few years.
Do you know what to tell the doubters of the Machado contract? So those fans who complain talk about how risky this contract is at the end for the last few years, right?
Well do you know that at the end of the contract Machado will be as old as Cano is RIGHT NOW?
Meaning the Mets are sucking it up with taking over the worst signing in history?
Now we both know that when the Metsie fans voices wet really squeaky, they will point to the fact that the contract is subsidized by the Mariners.
Hello are they that dumb? How about the money that the Mets are paying the overpaid players that they traded? Do they know how to compute total cost?
Actually, Ellsbury would probably be the worst signing in history
You do realize the mariners assumed the full contracts of the players they received… sorry to disturb your whiny yankee fan rant with facts
Yes as you absorb Robbie don’t you know over the hill. Whynot move on past Ellsbury? Here’s the difference:
Yankees can afford to pay Ellsbury and still have a stocked lineup and bench.
Mets can’t afford to pay Cespedes and without his bat in the lineup they are limp.
Your squeaky voice should subside. It’s only common sense, however it is possible that your lack of self respect makes it enjoyable to be a sub yourself.
Why would any team be looking to extend a guy they control for 3 more seasons when he hasn’t been able to stay healthy? Yeah, if Syndergaard wants to lock down some security and potentially leave a lot of money on the table, I’m sure Mets will talk, but too often players and agents say they want an extension but what they mean is they want to be paid as if they were a free agent.
I agree if they still have control wait 2 more years before extending him you never know if he’ll get hurt again.
Hey won’t extend J. Too bad your theory has holes.
All extensions at this stage of the game are at a discount for the team..
Good luck on your future free agency adventure Noah! Wonder what one small devaluing tool will keep you from signing until spring training.
Thor coming out to the Yankees of the west!AJ Preller get it done!
How about actually winning something before acting like an annoying yankee fan.
As a mets fan you should calm down before attacking. You leave yourself vulnerable.
Yankees of the west – lol. Win one and you’ll have 26 more to go before NYY gets another. Does that mean Hosmer is your Teixeira? So many questions.
Pretty sure theyre talking about Yankees of old and spending big bucks.
“Pretty sure theyre talking about Yankees of old and spending big bucks.”
Or Yankees of present and not winning anything.
To be fair…it’s harder to buy championships than it was 50-100 years ago when there were fewer teams and less competition.
Was it harder to buy a championship pre- free agency?
What are you talking about 50 or 100 years ago?
Well, yeah. The Yankees had the most money to buy players in the 20s and 30s and before free agency. Mostly that was just buying the top talent from other teams, like Babe Ruth or Roger Maris, or just having the most money to scout and develop the best amateur talent – and with the reserve clause, once those guys were Yankees they were Yankees for life, at well-below what they could have gotten in a free market.. Back then ticket sales drove revenue almost entirely, so bad teams that didn’t draw, like the Kansas City A’s, just became feeder teams for the Yankees, selling them their best players for cash or occasionally in lopsided trades. The Yankees were the best team and by far the most profitable team, and they could generally buy any player they wanted, if the team was willing to sell him.
ANY pitcher is foolish for “betting on himself” in today’s game. The amount of injuries involved with pitching is exceptionally high, especially in pitchers that have Syndergaard’s velocity. Even if he bets on himself and wins, the amount of victory is not going to be THAT significant. But the downside could be very significant. The lifestyle difference between $50 million and $70 million is virtually nonexistent. However the lifestyle difference between $50 miilion and nothing is quite substantial. It just makes no sense not to take the safety net right now.
What else do you expect him to say? Of course he is going to say he is confident and has no worries about getting paid when free agency comes around.
The funny thing is, if he said anything different, everyone would be jumping on him, saying how he should be more confident.
I expect him to say something to the effect of:
I am going to be here for a while, so I am going to sign a contract for the lifelong financial safety of my family. I have confidence in my ability to earn a monster contract at the end of this one whether it is here in Queens or elsewhere. But I am no fool and I realize that while I feel I am one of the best in the game, all it takes is one injury for me to be on the scrap heap. Since the Mets have control over where I am going to be for the next few years, I think signing and making this marriage work is a very prudent decision for both sides.
Of course I am no PR man, and I am sure the language could be cleaned up a bit, but I would be very happy to read something like that coming from a player I am rooting for.
His first arb year is worth more $$$ than most people make in a lifetime
nice dream though
Not after you factor out the taxes and agent fees and all other expenses that come from a major league salary.
Hey hi-what will you say when your team gets burned for betting against a
player and then succeeding?
I will tell you what. “There was no way to know and we took a chance”.
In the meantime keep rooting against players on your team. That’s the way of the Wilpon’s theory.
FAKE NEWS
Mets logic- they trade for a 35 year old second basemen who is making a ridiculous amount of money, coming off of a PED suspension, wont be able to play the field much in a few years. But they wont pony up the money to extend one of the best young pitchers this game has ever seen? Theres a reason why the mets are a joke, and are not taken seriously anymore. Pitchers like Degrom and Noah do not come around every year…
This is Awesome …..Philly will pay these guys what they are worth. At this point The Muts are essentially Phillies farm team.
That makes sense since the Phillies get all the free agents they want… oh wait, didn’t Machado sign with someone other than the Phillies?
Machado is a Lazy brat with Talent. If he does not change his attitude Padres will die under the weight of his contract. You and I know Philly dodged that bullet.
If he had signed with the Phillies you would be singing a different tune.
Though I agree Machado has shown very poor judgement, I would take him over Harper, who is a bigger brat. Plus, his swings scares me, it’s so max effort, it’s only a matter of time before something breaks down mechanically or physically.
No whynot, the Phillies didn’t sign Cespedes;
Mr abdominal
Mr quad
Mr hip
Mr I don’t drink enough water
Mr footise
Get past your self promoted superior persona. You are defending the defenseless. The more that you post the more that people here recognize you as a fool.
Mikey boy, did you forget to take your medications today? You seem to be in a specially sour mood.
Anyway, the conversation was about Machado so bringing Céspedes is completely irrelevant. But thank you for recognizing your superiors.
Don’t forget to take all your meds tomorrow.
Looking in the mirror while posting is dangerous. Instead of following your prescription instructions you are reading them to me.
Cespedes is not irrelevant by himself..you and your team are. And if someone’s swing scares you it’s time to get into therapy to work past your childhood nightmares of someone in your house swinging a bat at you.
well, they are paying Arrieta more than he is worth, so you may be right on that one.
Arrieta is not an Albatross. Philly had near zero financial commitments when they sign him to a short term contract.
Is that because so many players are pushing to be Phillies? They will have to seriously overpay to get Bryce there, who has all but said he’d rather play nearly anywhere but Philly. I don’t blame him because even though the Mets are a dumpster fire organization, there is still NYC. Do athletes really go, “Oh man…Philadelphia is where it is at!! Who needs world class dining and business when you can have…The Liberty Bell!”
I honestly don’t see any difference between Philly and NYC. Just the brand heat.
*Takes on a 35 year old Canos awful contract*
*hesitant to extend one of the best young arms this game has seen*
Nice logic
I see what you’re saying, but in regards to Cano you also have to remember the other factors of that trade. They also got I believe 20M in cash to offset the contract, got Bruce off their payroll and also got a young controllable closer who has already dominated once.
The trade for Cano did not make much sense to me. Take that money that you used to take on the Cano contract and go after Manny Machado/Harper/Pollock…Mets need to make a statement. Did they have a good offseason? added some decent pieces. Could have been a lot better. In my opinion, they went the cheap way out.
The main driver of the Cano deal was getting Diaz. They are banking on having a premier closer for the next few years at a relatively low cost, which offsets part of Cano’s salary. Yes, they are taking a gamble on Cano remaining productive for a few years but it’s one that could pay off. They have a limited window to win as the team is currently constructed. After 2 maybe 3 years it’ll be time to sell off some high value pieces to help retool. If they do it correctly, which is of course a big if, they could remain competitive following an influx of prospects and some free agents, similar to what the Yankees did a few years ago.
Diaz should still make significant money during his arbitration years if he produces as predicted. I like him as a player, but the Mets negotiated against themselves because Cano had a full NTC and said he would only go to NYC. The Yankees weren’t interested so…..the Mets or nothing. Giving up Kelenic, Dunn, AND only getting $20m back…all to dump Swarzak and Bruce. Typically Wilpons being penny wise, pound foolish. All they did was shift money around for this year and take on an aging Cano and $100m of liability. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb….their entire front office is screwed if they continue to make decisions as a small market team.
It’s 20 mil plus the money not being paid to swarzak and Bruce. Also they will “save” money as Diaz goes through arbitration years. Though he will make good money in that time, it will still be less than what an established closer would cost on the free agent market
The window closed why. Once Diaz is under the direction of the Mets trainers he will be making regular visits to the DL.
And You will be asking Why when with the bases loaded a double play ground ball up the middle is called, “Cano didn’t get to the ball. One run scored. Runner from second scored. Runner on first slides under the tag”.
What is going on with Mr. Glide???
You are right Brew. It’s part of the misfit strategy of Mutt and Jeff, Mets owners who enjoy contracts where everyone knows they overpay. Their MO is simple. Pay and insure the deal. Then wait for the DL to capture the insurance money which they pocket.
Your team proved that it could rebuild the right way. Efficient for a small market team that has true post season sustainability.
The Metsies on the other hand are a large market team run on a shoestring budget with no brainpower or long term plan.
That’s why their team “jingle” is, “Meet the Mets, Beat the Mets”.
Right or wrong, he is priority #3 for signing “right now” for their starting pitchers. de Grom is a top priority, but will be 32 when he hits free agency. Wheeler is a free agent at the end of this year, but has been so up and down with injuries that neither side knows his true value. Syndergaard also needs to show he can stay healthy, and with 3 years of control left, this is not the time to sign him.
I’d like to see them sign de Grom this spring, see how Wheeler pitches and extend Syndergaard next winter.
This guy gets it. Noah has only logged 30 starts in one season due to injuries (and admittedly a May call up in ‘15.) I love the guy, and hope he’s a Met forever, but you don’t extend with 3 years of team control. That’s just silly, but typical media talkup with all the talk surrounding Jake and Wheels.
You say you want to wait to see Wheeler pitch before you extend him. Question if Wheeler proves he is the real deal what exactly would his motivation be to sign an extension at that point rather than going to free agency. If he can pitch I’m pretty sure there are a couple of teams like the Yankees or the Red Sox or Phillies etc who wouldn’t mind bidding on him
Thanks Wagon Wheel. Too bad that conflict of interest and lack of experience keep you from the negotiating table.
Mets have a good place to pitch (Syndergaard would agree based on career stats). Also a pretty good division to pitch.
Tim Lincecum “kinda” tried to bet on himself too. Be aware, Noah.
Yeah, but Syndegaard has a lot better reason to bet on himself than Lincecum did – short pitchers just don’t tend to have long careers as starters, and Lincecum had that weird delivery. Everybody predicted him to break down early as soon as he arrived, and you’d think his agent would have known all that too.
Big, tall, wide or small pitchers break down. Noah hasn’t exactly been a picture of durability.
“Yeah, but….” is code for “I don’t have a real argument to make but I love to read my own typing.”
The agent can advise his player in great detail. He still works for the player at the end of the day.
Generally teams avoid short starting pitchers for a reason; they prefer guys over six feet. Shorter pitchers often get shunted into a bullpen role. That Lincecum was as good as he was for those 4 years or so was unexpected, but when he broke, he broke down fast. It didn’t help that he was throwing like 220 innings a year plus postseason innings on that frame and with that delivery.
Hey David-you made Trim sad so he had to go out and buy a dozen Kristy Kremes.
Are you jealous because you can’t even afford that?
Trim, Samuel – it’s all the same person who targets me. I think they have at least four accounts, all written in the same style and using the same sort of sad personal attacks on me. . I don’t really mind; it’s part and parcel of the internet, and I use my real name for accountability. This guy doesn’t. Getting personally attacked, over and over, by a faceless and nameless internet troll is about the very least of my worries. I mostly just like talking about baseball, and there’s enough good people here that I can engage with that I can easily let the personal insults go.
(And if you’re actually creating different user accounts on something as ephemeral and relatively inconsequential as the comments section of a website, then I guess your life has taken an odd turn or you need to find a hobby. Go volunteer somewhere.)
Not sure why this is news considering the fact that his name has constantly come up in trade rumors.
It amazes me how the Wilpons are able to get away being so cheap for their market size.
Well, they got fleeced in the Bernie Madoff scandal, so maybe they still have some cash flow issues.
That was literally 10 years ago, yet I hear this brought up every time the Mets are accused of not spending money. They’ve probably saved more money by now hiding behind this as an excuse than they actually lost in the scheme itself. If they’re that strapped for cash that 10 years later, they’re still reeling, then I know how they can make a quick billion…
Also “fleeced” is being generous. They were involved in a scam that hurt a lot of people. They got slapped on the wrist
Enough with that lame excuse
Lame is code for Wilpon family pride. Let’s face it. Until they sell the team it is cursed. Any fans that support them are dumber than a door knob.
This team is owned by selfish men who rape everyday fans. They purport a charade of make believe, duping fans to buy tickets while going through the motions.
They care less about results; it’s better to overpay a bumb like Cespedes because they get a reimbursement from their insurance carrier which THEY POCKET.
You caught them, they knew he would be out for two years. It all part of their master plan.
One other thing… don’t forget your meds.
The Mets were cheap before the Madoff scandal broke when they were actually making tons of money from Madoff and they are just as cheap now. Stop giving them cover with that stupid tiring excuse
In fairness, they are still playing catch up with contracts that were signed nearly 30 years ago.
Like Bobby Bonilla, right?
Or was it Mo Vaughn?
i wonder if the Mets would consider moving Thor to the bullpen if they didnt have Edwin and Familia
That would be absolutely ridiculous.
“So, too, is the fact that…” is something one might say in parlance but should never write.
Syndergaard’s biggest issue is being able to stay healthy and on the field. If he can do that this year he should be in for a very nice extension. If he can do it for the next couple of years he should be rewarded very handsomely as a FA. But based on his past that’s a big IF.
Hey wizzard-what’s a fairly nice extension?
In Mutt and Jeff code that means-“look out at Flushing Marina. The view is amazing”.
What’s everyone having for lunch ?
When the Mets fall out of contention early. Do the padres attempt to trade for him at the deadline?
What makes you think the Padres are going to be in contention?
The Padres don’t need to be in contention this year to trade for Syndergaard. They could use an established pitcher atop their young staff, the Mets could use prospects to begin their needed rebuild.
Let’s hope so!
As a Mets fan I would love to see them sign DeGrom and Noah. Nola and Sevy signed new contracts, you see your GM take on Cano and his massive contract.. Now the Mets are in a position where you have to offer them massive deals as well – or just trade them. They really are in a position that the Wilpons either HAVE to spend a lot of money for them or HAVE to trade them.
With two years to go for Degrom, and three for Syndergaard, they don’t have to do either right now.
The most urgent situation involves Wheeler who will be free agent after the season.
The best course of action this year is extending both Wheeler and Degrom. – Degrom before opening day which is his demand otherwise wait till offseason – and Wheeler during the season should he pitch like he did in 2018 second half.
Mets can wait till at least the offseason or next spring to extend Syndergaard with two years to go provided he stays relatively healthy in 2019 and pitches well. .
It’s utter baloney that Syndergaard doesn’t want to sign extension with Mets.
People:
Don’t believe the reports of the past few days which contradicts what Syndergaard said and implied in an SNY, Mets Hot Stove interview Tuesday and his prior statements he loves being a Met, loves playing in New York and wants to be a Met for life.
Tuesday, Noah said he’s glad he wasn’t traded in the offseason and that if Mets want to talk extension he would be crazy not to listen especially with the market as it is today. He said he loves being a Met, loves New York but the Mets haven’t approached him with contract talks.
Syndergaard has more trade value than deGrom. Younger, and he’s yet to have his career year like Jacob did in 2018. Since the Mets are badly in need of a rebuild, they should be looking to trade both guys. A smart organization would have done this already.
He is also yet to pitch a full season without at least one trip to the DL. He has averaged 22 starts and 130 IP. His value when he is not on the mound for 12 starts a year is zero.
In what world does Syndegard have more trade value then DeGrom Syndegaard has only pitched over 154 innings once and never over 185 innings. He’s been injured almost every year. Last year he had a 2.80 era compared to DeGroms Cy Young 1.70 era.If thats your opinion I would love to have you as an opposing teams GM.On the argument that he’s yet to have his career year I guess Wacha and Luke Weaver and Ross Stripling and Jordan Montgomery are all worth more then Degrom too because the same could be said of them. Just wondering though how exactly do you know Thor hasn’t had his career year yet. A couple of years ago Matt Harvey believed that and where is he now
With Syndergaard’s injury history, betting on himself is not a good investment.