NEW YORK -- Mets assistant general manager John Ricco addressed the media for the first time on Friday as part of the trio overseeing the team during Sandy Alderson's absence. He discussed the many decisions he and his counterparts, J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya, have been making. "Overwhelming" was the term used repeatedly when referring to the deals that would have to be made to trade either of the Mets aces.
"We're having a lot of dialogue with teams on a lot of different fronts," Ricco said. "We're not out there actively looking to move Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard by any stretch. I think it would honestly take a team to come in and present an overwhelming deal to us to move one of those guys. They're just that kind of player, and they mean that much to the organization."
deGrom leads the Majors with a 1.84 ERA but is just 5-4 on the season due to lack of support from his bullpen and offense. Syndergaard has been on the disabled list since May 26 with a strained ligament in his right index finger, but he is scheduled for a rehab start on Sunday in Brooklyn.
Ricco talked a lot about what a rebuild would look like, and he pointed out that they already have a lot of the players that they need. It's just a matter of getting the athletic players to build around them.
"For right now, because of the makeup of our team and the fact that we have guys like [Syndergaard] and [deGrom] at the top of our rotation, I think if we add the right pieces around them, we can be competitive really quickly," Ricco said. "In fact, as we get Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes and Syndergaard back, we're going to be a lot more competitive in the coming days. So I don't think we're looking at a two- or three-year thing. We're looking to bring in guys in the shorter term than that."
That being said, Ricco was not opposed to making deals for starting pitchers. He understands that the starting rotation the Mets have is a valuable commodity, and it is tough to come by, so he is "open to any and all ways" to make the team better.
The Mets plan to target players by the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline who are Double-A, Triple-A and Major League talent. They are looking for players who will be ready to help the team in the 2019 season.