MLB trade rumors: 4 reasons Mets should deal Jacob deGrom ASAP

The Mets could extend ace Jacob deGrom. They could do nothing. Here’s why a bold trade should be in order right now, before the July 31, 2018 (7/31/18) non-waiver deadline.

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It’s time for the Mets to face the music.

Since the start of the 2017 season, the Mets own a 109-147 record. The team that went to back-to-back postseasons in 2015 and 2016, including a World Series berth in 2015, is no more. Pretending that the best of that team will return four years after its run began is short sighted and foolish.

And that’s exactly why the Mets need to start truly rebuilding now. Not in the offseason, but instead before the upcoming July 31 trade deadline.

The big chip to change the future of the franchise: NL Cy Young contender Jacob deGrom.

Here’s why.

Blow it up: If the Mets are going to truly rebuild the right way, dealing off the biggest asset on the team is how to do it. DeGrom could bring back a haul. If you think the five-for-one move the Dodgers made for Manny Machado is big, consider this: deGrom comes with team control for 2019 and 2020. Three pennant races with a top-10 pitcher in the sport is valuable.

Instead of getting back middling prospects for middling players, it’s time for the Mets to be bold and reset. That’s how the Cubs and Astros got to the top of the sport. It’s time for the Mets to be realistic with themselves and model a franchise around champions.

Peak value: deGrom will never have higher trade value than right now. Before the season began, deGrom was rarely talked about as one of the game’s five-or-so best pitchers. That was for good reason. He wasn’t. From 2016-17, deGrom had elbow surgery (his second after having Tommy John surgery before reaching the bigs) and posted a 3.32 ERA. Very good, not great.

Now? DeGrom (1.68 ERA, 2.32 FIP, 10.9 SO/9) has taken his career to the next level. But how long will it continue? At the age of 30, deGrom may be at the peak of his powers. With team control that will only lessen from here, he’s at the perfect combination of performance and value.

Market is a mess: If three or four other other truly dominant arms were on the market, perhaps the Mets wouldn’t get back a haul before the deadline. That’s not the case. There’s no Madison Bumgarner available. Cole Hamels is a shell of his former self. Few think of J.A. Happ as a Game 1 or Game 2 starter in October.

The Mets have the rare opportunity to market a team-controlled ace pitching to an ERA under 2.00. The asking price could be off the charts–and the Mets may just be able to extract it from a team desperate to win it all.

Bold predictions

Motivated Yankees help bidding war: This could be the key to it all. Forget all the Yankees-Mets nonsense, backpage wars and how each fan base would react. The Mets need to get a haul, reset the organization and turn deGrom into two or three players that will impact the next winning team in Queens.

A motivated Yankees front office can make that happen.

No, Gleyber Torres won’t be in a deal. But that’s not reality. If the Mets can land three players from a group that includes Miguel Andujar, Justus Sheffield, Estevan Florial and Clint Frazier, it’s a win. We’re talking about players that comprise the top of one of baseball’s best farm systems.

Too steep of a price for the Yankees to pay? Likely not when considering a dire need for a big-time starter in the Bronx. If the Mets truly made deGrom available, both teams could come out winners–public perception aside.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.