MLB Rumors: Mets Would've Traded Yankees Stroman For Top Prospects, Greinke Wasn't An Option For NYY

The New York Yankees surprisingly didn’t upgrade their rotation before the 2019 MLB trade deadline. The AL East leaders watched Marcus Stroman, Zack Greinke and Trevor Bauer go elsewhere, failing to improve their chances of winning the World Series.

The New York Mets shocked the baseball world by acquiring Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays. The right-hander had seemed like the most likely candidate to be traded to the Bronx, though the Yankees’ chances of landing the native New Yorker might not have completely ended when he was sent to their cross-town rivals.

According to Bob Klapisch of The New York Times, the Mets were ready to send Stroman to the Yankees in exchange for a package that included minor-leaguers Deivi Garcia and Estevan Florial. They are the top two prospects in the Yankees’ system, according to MLB Pipeline. Garcia has 138 strikeouts in 90.1 innings this season, and the Yankees never seriously considered trading him for one of the available starters at the deadline.

The Yankees rebuffed the Blue Jays’ offer, which included Garcia in a deal for Stroman. There’s speculation that the Yankees would have dealt Garcia in a trade for Noah Syndergaard, but the Mets weren’t going to send the starter to their rivals unless they were blown away with an offer.

The Mets ultimately decided to be buyers at the trade deadline, despite their sub-.500 record. They are 11 games out of first place in the NL East, though a recent hot streak has the Mets just 4.5 games out of the second NL Wild-Card spot.

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ decision to sell their best starter could end up keeping the Yankees out of the World Series. Even though they are a game ahead of the Mets in the standings, the Diamondbacks traded Zack Greinke to the Houston Astros, turning the AL West leaders into the prohibitive favorites to win the pennant.

The Astros were able to hold onto their two best prospects. The deal was more about the Diamondbacks getting off Greinke’s lucrative contract. Houston will pay $53 million of the $77 million left on Greinke’s deal, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

The Yankees might’ve been able to meet the Diamondbacks’ asking price, but New York never had a shot at landing the perennial Cy Young candidate. The Yankees were on Greinke’s no-trade list, and it’s well-known that he would’ve vetoed a trade to the Big Apple.

“I’m disappointed that I can’t add to what I already have, which I feel good about and strong about,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at a press conference Wednesday, shortly after New York beat Greinke and Arizona 7-5 in an afternoon game. “The intent and interest has always been, ‘Can I add to it?’ No regrets in terms of the effort in trying to match up with others, but for various reasons it didn’t work out, so I’m certainly disappointed.”

Greinke has a 2.90 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP in 146 innings. Stroman is right behind him with a 2.96 ERA in the 2019 season.

The Yankees have a 7.5-game lead and are on pace to win 103 games. New York is percentage points ahead of Houston for the best record in the American League.