Texas Rangers: Is a Trade for Noah Syndergaard Possible?

Noah Syndergaard has long been talked about being dealt by the Mets. What would it take for the Texas Rangers to acquire him?

Josh Clark of 105.3 The Fan wrote a piece about the Texas Rangers possibly acquiring Noah Syndergaard from the New York Mets. The article fielded mixed reactions when it was posted to The Fan’s Facebook page. Here’s some context to the possible trade before you decide whether you like the idea or not.

Noah Syndergaard is a 26-year-old righty that was drafted in the 1st round in 2010 by the Toronto Blue Jays, then was later traded as one of the main pieces in the R.A. Dickey deal in 2012. Syndergaard is from Mansfield, TX, about 20-30 minutes away from the ballpark. His pitching mentor, Allen Davis, still lives in the area.

His 2017 season was limited to just 7 starts due to injuries, then he missed a few starts in 2018. He’s had only one season where he started fewer than 24 games (2017).

Syndergaard has yet to miss a start this season; however, his 4.93 ERA and 3-4 record are certainly underwhelming. The bright side of the inflated ERA is it can potentially lower his asking price a bit. He certainly has a track record of success, but we all know how influential current stats are to trade suitors.

If the Texas Rangers were to dive into the Noah Syndergaard sweepstakes, they would likely have to give up one of either Hans Crouse (#1 prospect) or Leody Taveras (#6 prospect). Crouse has been nothing short of dominant at Single-A this season, and Taveras as reestablished himself as a coveted prospect after a hot start with the Down East Wood Ducks.

And the trade would not just be a Crouse/Taveras for Syndergaard straight up deal. The Rangers would have to include additional talent. In the 105.3 article, analyst Mike Bascik stated:

If I trade Hans Crouse, I don’t have to add in two more super-valuable pieces, but I’d have to add two pretty good pieces. Let’s just say I had to put Taylor Hearn and another guy in A-ball to get it done…

Taylor Hearn is the Texas Rangers’ #10 prospect according to MLB.com. The Rangers could likely deal him or another player that is in the 7-13 range on their prospect list. Then the A-ball player that Bascik talks about would probably be someone with a decent upside somewhere in the 18-21- year-old range.

So if the Rangers were to offer Crouse (20), Hearn (24), and Ronny Henriquez (19) for Noah Syndergaard (26), it would seem like a pretty good trade for both sides. After all, the Rangers track record for developing starting pitching is tough to look at, as Jon Daniels has found a notable lack of success in developing starters.

Still on the edge about the trade? Remember at the beginning of this article, Noah Syndergaard is from Mansfield, TX. He likely wouldn’t give the Texas Rangers any sort of discount in re-signing him when he becomes a free agent in 2022, but there is a good chance that the team should be able to extend him (assuming they want to keep him), and they could do it as soon as this off-season, by buying him out of a few years of arbitration and a year or two of his free agency.

Now the question for Jon Daniels is… would you trade Noah Syndergaard?  He is from Texas and he grew up watching the Texas Rangers play, so there is a good shot at him staying. At the same time, the organization would be forced to forfeit at least a few players in which they’ve devoted much developmental time toward.

It would be a huge gamble, but a talent like Noah Syndergaard is definitely one worth taking a gamble on — if the Mets are actually willing to trade him.