Prospect Spotlight: Noah Syndergaard

Name: Noah Syndergaard
Age: 21
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 240 lbs
Drafted: Blue Jays, 1st round, 2010 Amateur Draft
Acquired: Via trade 
Throws: Right
Bats: Left

Estimated MLB debut: mid-2014

Where does he currently stand in the minor leagues:

Syndergaard started the 2013 season with the St. Lucie Mets, posting a 3.11 ERA in 12 starts. He also sported a solid 9.0 K/9 ratio with a 2.3 BB/9 clip. He was promoted to the Binghamton Mets in the middle of the season, and went on to put up a 3.00 ERA in 11 starts with them. He also had a 11.5 K/9 and 2.0 K/9 ratio.

What does he project to be?

He projects to be an ace, plain and simple. Syndergaard has everything that an ace would have: a pitchers body, an arsenal of solid pitches, and the work ethic. Scouts have said that Syndergaard could be better than Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler, and at 21 years of age, he seems very advanced.

Does he have a long-term role with the Mets?

Syndergaard is, or at least should be, viewed as untouchable this winter. I don't care if the Mets are going after Giancarlo Stanton, I do not want him dealt away: he is the real deal. Syndergaard will likely be promoted to the team mid-season like Zack Wheeler this year. Hopefully he makes a good enough impression during the final half of the season to open some eyes, and give the Mets some much-needed pitching.

Conclusion

The Mets clearly got a steal in the R.A. Dickey trade. The deal was centered around catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, and Sandy Alderson really pushed for Toronto to add in Syndergaard as well. At this point Sandy is looking like the clear cut winner, even with Syndergaard only in Double-A, and d'Arnaud getting a small taste of the big leagues in the final month of the season. Syndergaard seems to be a thought of as the team's third best young hurler behind Harvey and Wheeler, but I'm confident that he has the ability to be better than both of them, and that is saying a lot. 

Mets would like EYJ back as 4th OF

The Mets would like to bring back Eric Young Jr. this winter, and plan on making him the backup outfielder, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com

"Young is seen as an excellent fourth or fifth outfielder." Heyman said.

Young will earn a total of $492,000 this season, and can be brought back in 2014 through the arbitration process. He will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, and is under team control through the 2016 season. 

The 28 year old, who was acquired from Colorado earlier in the season, has hit .262 with a .338 on-base percentage in 74 games with the Mets. He also has 29 stolen bases in 35 attempts.

I'm a big fan of Young, but I know that he is not a starting-caliber player. At this point it seems like the Mets are going to commit to either Juan Lagares or Matt den Dekker in center field (neither of whom have any power,) and Young just doesn't have enough power to his bat to be an everyday left or right fielder. However, Young does have many great qualities. He's a switch-hitter, speedy on the base paths, plays decent defense, and is cheap. 

The cheap aspect is probably the most important one of all. Young will earn a slight salary raise from this year's, but will still be very affordable, and will give solid production for his worth. 

Considering that the Mets have been chasing after Young for a few years, I highly doubt they'll non-tender him and let him walk. His speed is very important, and I believe he's earned a spot on next year's bench due to that quickness. 

Mets unlikely to acquire a first baseman in off-season

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Mets are unlikely to pursue a first baseman outside of the organization this winter. 

"The Mets expect to have their first base answer in-house, between Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, and Josh Satin," Heyman writes. "That will leave shortstop and the outfield corners as the main areas for import."

In a recent report, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York also said that the Mets are unlikely to non-tender Ike Davis this winter.

If the Mets decide to keep Ike Davis AND Lucas Duda, that would be a disgrace. There is no way Duda is going back out in the outfield, and I figure he will be the odd man out here. As the season is coming to an end, he has seen his fair share of first base, presumably to get his trade value up for this winter. 

If I had to choose between Davis and Duda, I would easily choose Davis. Despite his struggles in 2013, he still possesses a massive amount of potential, and has incredible raw power. Not to mention he is solid defensively.

If I was the GM, my first focus would be to chase after recently defected first baseman Jose Dariel Abreu. He is said to be better than Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes, and would be a high risk, potential high reward signing. The Mets have money, and they are going to need to excite their fans. Making a big splash like Abreu would definitely draw more fans to the ballpark, and would give the team a solid hitting first baseman.

Granted, Sandy Alderson doesn't seem like the GM that would go too heavily in a bidding war. Since there is a massive amount of interest in Abreu from several teams, I don't know how likely it will be that the Mets land him. So with that in mind, there are some other options out there.

I would entertain a potential Corey Hart signing. Hart, coming off a season ending knee injury, has had great success with the Brewers over his career. He technically can still play outfield, but due to his knee problems, he would likely stick at first base. He would be a great buy low candidate, and if the Mets struggle in 2014, the could ship him off at the deadline.

I also like Justin Morneau, despite his injury history. Morneau has had a resurgent 2013 season with the Twins and Pirates, and probably wouldn't demand a huge contract. Maybe a 2-3 year deal while earning $7-$10 million annually would cut it.

The final, and probably most favorite name of mine is Kendrys Morales. Morales has quietly had a nice season with Seattle, hitting .280 with 21 home runs and 76 RBI. I've always been a fan of him ever since his solid 2009 season with the Angels where he smashed 34 home runs with 43 doubles. Seattle may try to lure him back by offering him a qualifying offer at the season's end, but that wouldn't affect the Mets as they'll likely have their first round pick protected under the new collective bargaining agreement. 

Parnell to undergo surgery, officially out for season

The Mets have announced that Bobby Parnell will undergo surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck, and he will officially miss the remainder of the season. Parnell has been on the disabled list since August 6, and Terry Collins said that he would make a decision on surgery sometime in September. 

"If I do have surgery, they said I'll be ready for spring training next year." Parnell said last month. 

Overall, the 29 year old hurler posted a 2.16 ERA with 22 saves for the Mets this year. As his first season as a closer, most people would call it a success.

I really liked what I saw from Parnell this season. Unlike previous years, he would come in to games and have a certain poise that showed you that he meant business. That along with his strong fastball and nasty knuckle-curve made him an intimidating player in the back-end of the bullpen.

I'm sure he'll still have the closer's job next season, and I look forward

to seeing how he continue to improve his game.

Frank Francisco to be activated

The Mets announced that Frank Francisco will be activated from the disabled list. To make room for him on the 40 man roster, Jenrry Mejia has been transferred to the 60 day disabled list. Francisco has not pitched all season due to elbow soreness.

The 34 year old right hander posted a 5.53 ERA with the Mets last season. He originally signed a two year, $12 million deal with the team after the 2011 campaign, a deal that Sandy Alderson must regret giving out at this point.

Francisco underwent surgery in December to clean out his elbow, and made a few relief appearances with the Mets' minor league affiliates this season while on a rehab assignment. 

Personally, this move is going to be questioned by many because of Francisco's actions. Earlier in the year, he was convicted of telling Jenrry Mejia to take it extra slow when returning from his injury so he could collect his money without doing anything. From that point Francisco has been hated by the entire fanbase.

Francisco will be a free agent after this season, and the Mets will not bring him back. However, they have brought him up to either A) boost his free agent value or B) to trade him to a contender sometime this month. Of-course, if they trade him he will not be eligible for the playoffs, but could still provide decent bullpen depth, which is always needed. 

Rice to undergo surgery, out for season

Scott Rice will soon undergo surgery for hernia that he has been dealing with for the last three weeks, according to Marc Craig of Newsday. Rice will miss the remainder of the season.

In his first season in the big leagues, Rice posted a respectable 3.71 ERA in a league leading 73 games. Before the 2013 season, he had spent 14 years in the minor leagues after being drafted in the first round (44th overall) by the Orioles in 1999. He made the Mets squad out of spring training this year, and was healthy the entire season up until this point.

When the Mets originally signed Scott Rice, I even labeled the move as "a joke," and I was wrong. Rice started off extremely hot, posted a 3.01 ERA in his first 31 appearances. However, since that point, he had a 4.38 ERA in his final 42 appearances.

Terry Collins clearly put a heavy workload on Rice. Since the Mets did not have left handed relief depth for most of the season, Rice was really their only option. Once Pedro Feliciano, Robert Carson, and Tim Byrdak were brought up, that took some stress off of Rice.

Overall, Rice should be brought back on another minor league deal next year. He did a good enough job to earn himself another contract, and hopefully it is the Mets who bring him back. Having him succeed in New York was a nice story, and hopefully, if brought back in 2014, he could continue to get better.