Flushing fairy tale ends for Steven Matz, but LI product can reach potential in Toronto
Mets pitcher Steven Matz reacts after giving up a solo home run to the Rays' Randy Arozarena during the ninth inning of an MLB game at Citi Field on Sept. 23. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The last time Sandy Alderson traded a notable Mets’ pitcher to the Blue Jays, he did pretty well, swapping 38-year-old knuckeballer R.A. Dickey -- fresh off his Cy Young season -- for Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard.
With all his promise, Steven Matz never got to R.A.’s level in Flushing, but as a former Ward Melville star, he still grabbed his share of headlines, despite a constant struggle to harness so much of that elusive potential. Just last month, there was even talk of non-tendering Matz, thinking that maybe it wasn’t going to happen for him pitching here in his own backyard.
Late Wednesday night, we got the answer: It didn’t. The Mets wound up giving Matz a contract, only to trade him to the Blue Jays for a package of three righthanded pitching prospects: Yennsy Diaz, Josh Winckowski and Sean Reid-Foley.
Is there a Syndergaard in that bunch? Doubtful. But maybe some talent, as Diaz, 24, and Winckowski, 22, were ranked No. 26 and 27, respectively, in the Blue Jays’ system by MLB.com in 2020.
Like that Dickey trade, however, this wasn’t just about the primary pieces. There were other roster forces at work here, and the Mets already had started to give up on Matz before Alderson returned as president in October. Matz’s contract for this year was a non-guaranteed $5.2 million, and for that he still was being steadily nudged from the rotation, especially after the trade for another lefty starter, the Padres’ Joey Lucchesi, earlier this month.
Matz was entering 2021 without a defined role on these Mets -- once again compete for a starting job in spring training, maybe end up as a swingman in middle relief. It couldn’t have been very appealing for him, and the Mets didn’t have much of an appetite for such a plan either.
Instead, they found a taker in the Blue Jays for a classic change-of-scenery gamble, trim $5.2 million from the payroll, create some sought-after depth/flexibility for the pitching staff down into the minors -- and perhaps even prepare for signing Trevor Bauer, the biggest fish left on the free-agent market.
From the local angle, Matz gets to team up in Toronto with another former Ward Melville ace in Anthony Kay -- dealt at the ’19 deadline for Patchogue-Medford star Marcus Stroman, who now stands as the lone LI rep on the Mets at the moment. A tremendous physical talent, with an electric arsenal of pitches, Matz’s inconsistency was a head-scratcher, and mostly was pegged as letting his emotions get the best of him on the mound. Maybe that had to do with pitching for his hometown team, and if so, the Blue Jays will reap the benefits of his relocation.
As for the Mets, they don’t have to sweat another year of wondering what Matz can deliver. This offseason has been all about moving forward under new owner Steve Cohen -- despite a temporary derailment from Jared Porter’s texting grenade -- and the team evidently had run out of patience with Matz, even after signing one of his closest friends, Nashville workout partner James McCann, the new $40-million catcher.
The Matz trade went down only hours after the Mets announced that Zack Scott was taking over as the acting GM, and it seems that firing Porter nine days earlier had little effect on the team’s agenda for the remainder of this offseason. The Mets probably aren’t finished, either, despite checking a number of significant boxes so far with the additions of McCann, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor May and Aaron Loup.
Losing out on George Springer to the Blue Jays has them still in the market for a centerfielder (Jackie Bradley Jr.?) and they already made an offer to Bauer weeks ago, although the parameters of that proposed deal are unclear. It’s been difficult to tell how many teams remain in the hunt for Bauer -- the Angels reportedly dropped out in recent days, partly due to his sour relationship with their pitching coach Mickey Callaway -- but the Mets are very much involved.
Expect a mystery team or two to surface in the coming days as the Bauer talks escalate, and Cohen could be anxious to quell the chatter of him being outbid by Toronto on Springer, who got a six-year, $150-million deal. Alderson has glowingly praised Bauer since November, with Bauer’s agent, Rachel Luba, being just as flattering about the Mets’ revival under Cohen.
Trading Matz doesn’t seal Bauer’s arrival in Flushing. The Mets had other roster goals to accomplish as well, and Matz was an expendable piece for that purpose. It’s too bad. Everyone loves a local-boy-makes-good story and Matz was all of that for Newsday. He was a high-character, homegrown kid that just couldn’t complete the Flushing fairy tale for whatever reason. It’s over here, but knowing Matz, that doesn’t mean it can’t resume in Toronto.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
