2019 has been a major disappointment for the New York Mets, but potentially making a big trade before July 31 could brighten the Mets future.
The Mets sent their top talent evaluator, Omar Minaya, to scout Yankees’ top pitching prospect Deivi Garcia.
Garcia recently played in the future’s game and is the #4 prospect in the Yankees organization, according to MLB Pipeline.
He started the year in High-A and he made four starts and posted a 3.06 ERA. Garcia had the same success in Double-A, with a 3.00 ERA in 51 innings with 81 strikeouts. He has become known for his strikeout ability even though he is only 5-feet 9 inches.
Garcia made his Triple-A debut last night and was solid in his first start. He pitched five innings and allowed three runs while striking out six. Garcia certainly could be a big piece of a trade involving Noah Syndergaard or Zack Wheeler.
There still is a lot of time for Garcia to reach his potential. He is only 20 years old and became the youngest player currently in Triple-A. Before he becomes the centerpiece of the deal, an important part of his growth needs on getting deep into ball games.
Over his first four seasons in professional baseball he has only pitched into the seven innings twice. In a trade for a one-year rental, like Zack Wheeler, Garcia is certainly acceptable as a piece in return. Given his level of talent right now, he still is at least another full season away from getting an opportunity to make an impact on a good team.
In a trade for Noah Syndergaard, Garcia has to be packaged with other big league ready prospects. This includes guys like Clint Frazier or Estevan Florial. Even though the Mets seem out of it, they are only 5.5 out of the second Wild Card spot and the Mets still have control of Syndergaard after this season.
Garcia has a lot of promise and has flown up the ranks of the Yankees system very quickly. If the Mets do not take the risk on trading for him, there are certainly many teams lining up for his services.