The Cincinnati Reds should explore a trade for Noah Syndergaard

The Cincinnati Reds have a new manager in David Bell, and if he’s going to be successful the starting pitching will need a significant upgrade. The pitcher who should be at the top of the Reds’ wish list is current New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard.

The Cincinnati Reds front office is facing a critical offseason. The franchise has lost more than 90 games for four consecutive seasons and attendance has dropped to a 34 year low. The Reds should explore a trade for Mets’ starter Noah Syndergaard.

It’s unrealistic to believe the Reds will be able to financially compete for free agent starting pitchers such as Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel. However, the Reds do have one of the best minor league farm systems in baseball and now is the time to use those assets to acquire quality Major League talent.

Obtaining Syndergaard would give the Reds one of the top hurlers in the NL Central Division. During his 2018 campaign, Syndergaard posted a 13-4 record with a 3.02 ERA. Even more impressive, he allowed only 9 home runs over 154.1 innings.  Thor, as he’s affectionately known, also finished with a 4.0 WAR which was good enough for 10th in the league among pitchers.

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Another key factor to acquiring Syndergaard is that he’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season.  Syndergaard, who turns 26 years old in 2019, has already compiled 573 career strikeouts in only 518.1 innings. If the Reds plan is to realistically compete for a playoff berth beginning in 2020, Syndergaard would give the club their first legitimate ace since the days of Johnny Cueto.

Enticing the Mets to consider dealing Noah Syndergaard won’t be easy, but the Reds have young talent that could possibly fill multiple needs for New York.  From the Mets perspective the deal would almost certainly have to feature young Reds outfield prospect Taylor Trammell as the centerpiece.

According to MLB Pipeline, Trammell is currently the Reds No. 3 prospect and ranked No. 17 overall among all minor leaguers.  Trammell could see time at the Major League level as early as next season.  A future Mets outfield of Michael Conforto, Trammell and Brandon Nimmo could potentially be one of the best in baseball.

Another name that could pique the Mets interest is Tyler Stephenson, the Cincinnati Reds top catching prospect.  Stephenson is currently the No. 6 ranked prospect in the Reds system and No. 10 among all catching prospects throughout the minor leagues.  The young backstop is a little farther away from the big leagues than Trammell, however it’s not unrealistic to envision him up with the big league club during the 2020 season.

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If there’s a silver lining to continually losing 90 games a year it’s that it has provided the Reds with high draft picks.  Every indication is the Reds have done an outstanding job in the draft the past four seasons and have a stable of young exciting prospects. While a package of Trammell and Stephenson alone won’t obtain Syndergaard it’s an excellent starting point and the Cincinnati Reds should make every effort to bring the right-hander to the Queen City.