Boston Red Sox should target pitchers from New York Mets deep rotation

Aug 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; General view as New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) is shown on the scoreboard as he comes to bat against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Red Sox head to the Big Apple this weekend to make their first ever regular season visit to Citi Field. Boston’s offense has been rolling this month, but they will be tested with the daunting challenge of facing a New York Mets pitching staff that ranks third in the majors this season.

You’ll have to excuse the Red Sox if they seem envious of this rotation. While Boston is starved for a front line starter to anchor their staff, the Mets are loaded with young, talented pitchers with tremendous upside.

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The Mets are blessed with a problem that every team would like to have. They have too much pitching. Ok fine, so maybe there is no such thing as having too much pitching, but when all of their pitchers are healthy the Mets have more starters than they have rotation spots. As it is, they expect to move to a six-man rotation next month when top prospect Steven Matz returns from the disabled list.

Part of their intention in using six starters in the rotation is to help limit the workload for some of their young pitchers that may be on team-induced innings caps. They are wise to tread cautiously with these kids for now, but it’s not a viable long term solution. Even with the contract of 42-year old Bartolo Colon coming off their books, the Mets will still have Zack Wheeler returning from Tommy John surgery sometime in the first half of next season.

That leaves the Mets with a surplus of pitching to offer. While New York’s offense has been on fire this month, they still have a need to add bats. The mid-season acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes has helped, but he’s a free agent after the season and it’s unclear if the cash strapped Mets are willing to offer him the type of contract he’ll demand.

This is where the Red Sox come in. They have a need for a young, cost controlled pitcher that can become the ace of their staff. They also have a deep farm system loaded with talented position players. Seems like a perfect match, right?

So let’s explore some of those Mets pitchers that may entice the Red Sox.

Next: Jacob deGrom

Aug 24, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets won 16-7. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob deGrom

The 27-year old Jacob deGrom is the oldest of the pitchers that make up the youth movement in New York’s rotation, but he’s only in his second season. He won’t be arbitration eligible until 2018 and remains under team control until 2021.

deGrom has made an immediate impact for the Mets, capturing the Rookie of the Year award last season and earning a spot on the National League All-Star team this year. He is currently tied for third in the league with a 2.29 ERA, his 0.94 WHIP is 4th, he’s 9th among starters with a 9.23 K/9 and 5th with a 4.3 WAR. In only his second season in the big leagues, deGrom is already making a case for being among the top handful of pitchers in the NL.

FanGraphs’ Pitchf/x values deGrom as having five pitches that are above-average to excellent. His fastball, which he has thrown 62.7% of the time this season at an average velocity that is a tick under 95 MPH, is rated as the best in the majors at 20.0 runs above average (wFA). He also has an above-average two-seam fastball rated at 3.0 wFT. He compliments his heater with a hard slider that ranks 19th in the majors with 4.0 wSL, a quality changeup that ranks 16th at 3.9 wCH and a developing curveball that he mixes in about 9.5% of the time that remains above average.

Spare me the argument that deGrom wouldn’t be considered an ace if he moved from a pitcher-friendly park in the weaker NL to Fenway Park in the big, bad AL East. Guys that have his arsenal of quality pitches can pitch anywhere. Even if his ERA went up a bit from facing stronger lineups, he would still be among the best pitchers in the league.

Next: Matt Harvey

Jul 28, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Noah Syndergaard

The youngest of these options is 22-year old Noah Syndergaard. He’s only 19 starts into his rookie season after making his big league debut back in May, but his 3.19 ERA would put him 16th in the NL if he had enough innings to qualify.

Syndergaard is a power-pitcher that uses his 6-foot-6-inch frame to throw downhill and induce ground balls, posting an above-average 43.3% ground ball rate so far in his career. He throws gas, with a fastball that can reach 98 MPH, leading to an exceptional 9.8 K/9 rate that has been the 4th best in the NL this year.

The man they call Thor may not actually be an Asgardian god, but he can put the hammer down with a 12-to-6 curveball that rates as one of the league’s best with a 6.5 wCU. He hasn’t found the same level of success with his changeup at the major league level yet, but some scouts believe it can develop into another plus-pitch for him.

The one concern with Syndergaard is his drastic home/road splits. The rookie is 7-1 with a spectacular 1.82 ERA in the cozy confines of Citi Field, but only 1-5 with a 4.91 ERA on the road. As I mentioned before regarding deGrom, pitchers of this caliber can survive the transition from the senior circuit to the designated hitter infused American League, but these splits are a bit troubling. Most likely they are the result of rookie jitters, where he just happens to feel more comfortable pitching in front of the home crowd. That’s an adjustment he should make with experience, so it’s probably not a long-term concern. However, it may be enough to bring down the asking price a bit considering he has less of a track record than his more established All-Star teammates.

Next: What Red Sox could offer

Jul 27, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts (50) hits an RBI double during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Now the question becomes what can the Red Sox give up to get one of these elite pitchers? It’s going to take a lot to pry any of them away from the Mets, given their combination of talent, age and cheap contracts. Of course those are also the factors that would make it worth it for Boston to make a play for one of them.

The problem is that while the Red Sox farm system is loaded with high-upside position players, their best prospects aren’t close to being major league ready. That may pose a problem for a Mets team that has found their way into first place in the NL East. If they are going to break up part of their dominant rotation, they will want to acquire a bat that can help contribute now.

Boston’s highest rated prospects are Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers, but both of them are still playing in A-ball down in Greenville. Their No. 3 prospect Manuel Margot climbed to Double-A Portland this year, but he’s also years away from contributing at the major league level. These three all have tremendous upside, but they are also 20-years old and under. Would the Mets be willing to wait that long to capitalize on their upside when they are ready to contend now?

The Red Sox do have many young, talented players on their big league club. Would they be willing to sacrifice one in order to bring in an ace?

Blake Swihart is the prize that many teams have asked for when the Red Sox have inquired about making a blockbuster trade. The 23-year old catcher is rapidly improving in his rookie season, but he may not be a good fit for the Mets, who already have their own former top catching prospect. Travis d’Arnaud has struggled with injuries in his brief career, but he’s hitting a respectable .279/.355/.544 with 9 homers in the 39 games he has been healthy for this year. A future star catcher probably isn’t on their wish list right now.

That leaves a pair of 22-year olds, Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts, as the most enticing trade chips on the Red Sox roster. Boston has been adamantly against including either in a deal, but they might have to in order to pry away one of these pitchers from the Mets. Betts would be the more likely one to go, considering Boston’s outfield depth. It would pain them to give up such a talented player, but they need a front line starting pitcher a lot more than they need an outfielder. You have to give something to get something.

Perhaps New York could be convinced to take a package of several appealing players instead of one blue-chip star. A package revolving around All-Star Brock Holt or defensive wizard Jackie Bradley could work if the deal also included one of the top prospects Boston has at the lower levels of their system.

The Red Sox have plenty of resources from their major league roster and strong farm system to make a deal. Now they just have to find a package that the Mets find appealing.