Report: Mets Exploring Noah Syndergaard Trade to Padres to Pursue Marcus Stroman

The New York Mets are reportedly considering a plan that would see them trade starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to the San Diego Padres and then repackage some of the prospects to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for starter Marcus Stroman.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the update Saturday ahead of Wednesday's MLB trade deadline, while ESPN.com's Jeff Passan provided some additional perspective: 

The idea doesn't make much sense on the surface.

Syndergaard is two years younger than Stroman and is under team control for two additional years compared to just one for his Blue Jays counterpart.

The 26-year-old Texas native, who's affectionately nicknamed Thor because of his long hair, also presents more upside. He's posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 699 strikeouts in 645 innings across 107 career appearances at the major league level.

Stroman is the owner of a 3.76 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 135 career games. He's also far less of a strikeout threat, with 635 punchouts in 789.2 innings.

The 2019 All-Star is enjoying a strong year with a 2.96 ERA across 21 starts, but that's less of a concern for a 48-55 Mets team that is seven games behind the final wild-card spot in the National League.

Ultimately, New York should decide whether to focus on winning now, a path that would mean keeping Syndergaard, or shift attention to the future and trade him for a stockpile of prospects.

Trying to play the middle ground by flipping some of the Syndergaard package to get Stroman, who will require a lucrative extension to keep him beyond next season, isn't the best use of resources.