Weekly Planner: Mets star prospect Noah Syndergaard could get MLB shot

With the trade deadline just a few days away, fantasy owners have long been scouting the guys who could step into the void after a team makes a deal. We’ve

With the trade deadline just a few days away, fantasy owners have long been scouting the guys who could step into the void after a team makes a deal. We’ve already seen it with Joaquin Benoit in San Diego and Neftali Feliz in Texas. It isn’t just closers changing addresses, though, and more holes will be created before the deadline hits on July 31. And that brings us to Noah Syndergaard.

The Mets’ top pitching prospect, Syndergaard was, in an ideal world, supposed to have already made his major league debut. Shoulder and elbow injuries slowed him down, but he could be creeping his way toward The Show. In 18 starts with Triple-A Las Vegas, he has a 5.34 ERA, 4.08 FIP, 1.53 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 91 innings. Don’t let those rates scare you. He pitches in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the eminently hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Pay more attention to the fact that he’s fanning more than a batter per inning and has a sterling 23.1-percent strikeout rate.

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Syndergaard will likely have to show the Mets a bit more in Triple-A to earn a promotion, but they may soon need another arm in the rotation. The team is getting plenty of calls on Bartolo Colon, who is one of the better middle-rotation starters available in advance of the deadline. The Mets would certainly like to rid themselves of his contract, which still has another year and about $14 million remaining on it. Should they find a taker for Colon, Syndergaard could be the man to replace him in the rotation. Just like we discussed with Archie Bradley last week, the 21-year-old Syndergaard could provide immediate fantasy value, especially given his ability to miss bats.

Roster trends

Most added

Josh Rutledge, Rockies – Rutledge has been on a tear of late, going 13-for-29 with a homer, four doubles and nine RBI in his last seven games (entering play Sunday). With Troy Tulowitzki on the DL, he should be a regular starter for at least the next two weeks.

Jake Peavy, Giants – The Giants acquired Peavy on Saturday and fantasy owners immediately gave him their seal of approval now that he’s in the NL. Don’t underestimate how much that can help a pitcher.

Jake Odorizzi, Rays – Odorizzi has been great in his last eight starts, posting a 2.39 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 53 strikeouts in 49 innings. He should be owned in all leagues, regardless of format.

Most dropped

Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals – Zimmerman is back on the DL, this time with a hamstring injury. He’s expected to be out 6-to-8 weeks, which is essentially the remainder of the fantasy season.

Neil Ramirez, Cubs – The Cubs sent Ramirez to Triple-A Iowa, though only to get him some rest. The young righty has been lights out this year, putting up a 0.96 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 36 strikeouts in 28 innings.

Lonnie Chisenhall, Indians – Chisenhall has really slowed down, putting up a .216/.333/.257 line in July. I wouldn’t drop him outright, but regression has hit pretty hard.

Two-start pitchers

1. Yu Darvish
2. Cole Hamels
3. Madison Bumgarner
4. Stephen Strasburg
5. Anibal Sanchez
6. Tyson Ross
7. Jose Quintana
8. Jordan Zimmermann
9. James Shields
10. Kyle Lohse
11. Ian Kennedy
12. Jake Odorizzi
13. Ervin Santana
14. Hisashi Iwakuma
15. Jered Weaver
16. Lance Lynn
17. Josh Beckett
18. A.J. Burnett
19. Homer Bailey
20. Bartolo Colon
21. Marcus Stroman
22. Aaron Harang
23. Jorge De La Rosa
24. Nathan Eovaldi
25. Henderson Alvarez
26. R.A. Dickey
27. Francisco Liriano
28. Jesse Chavez
29. Trevor Bauer
30. Mike Leake
31. Chris Tillman
32. Scott Feldman
33. Kyle Gibson
34. Vance Worley
35. Clay Buchholz
36. Edwin Jackson
37. David Phelps
38. Trevor Cahill
39. Brett Oberholtzer
40. Chase Anderson
41. Tsuyoshi Wada
42. Yohan Flande

Teams playing seven games

Braves

Diamondbacks

Cubs

Reds

Rockies

Astros

Marlins

Phillies

Pirates

Padres

Blue Jays

Nationals

Weekday day games (all times ET)

Monday

Padres @ Braves, 12:10

Wednesday

Brewers @ Rays, 12:10

Phillies @ Mets, 12:10

Diamondbacks @ Reds, 12:35

Nationals @ Marlins, 12:40

A’s @ Astros, 2:10

Pirates @ Giants, 3:45

Thursday

White Sox @ Tigers, 1:08

Rockies @ Cubs, 2:20

Cardinals @ Padres, 3:40

Favorable matchups

Diamondbacks (@ Cincinnati, vs. Pittsburgh) – The Diamondbacks avoid Johnny Cueto in their trip to Cincinnati, then take on a Pittsburgh team whose starters are right in the middle of the pack in ERA.

Red Sox (vs. Toronto, vs. New York Yankees) – The Red Sox spend the week in their division and at home, neither of which is a bad thing. The best pitchers they’ll face are Marcus Stroman and Mark Buehrle.

Reds (vs. Arizona, @ Miami) – The Diamondbacks and Marlins rank 27th and 23rd, respectively, in starters ERA. The Reds should be able to take advantage.

Tigers (vs. Chicago White Sox, vs. Colorado) – The Tigers should be able to bring their ridiculous .767 OPS to bear against the White Sox and Rockies this week. Chris Sale is not scheduled to pitch in Detroit.

Rangers (vs. New York Yankees, @ Cleveland) – This should be a good week for the Rangers. Their toughest challenge in the Yankees series will likely be Hiroki Kuroda, and the Indians have the fifth-highest starters ERA in the league.

Unfavorable matchups

Braves (vs. San Diego, @ Los Angeles Dodgers, @ San Diego) – Not only do the Braves spend most of the week in extreme pitchers parks, they’ll face Ian Kennedy twice, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw and Tyson Ross.

Indians (vs. Seattle, vs. Texas) – The Indians will have to contend with Hisashi Iwakuma, Felix Hernandez and Yu Darvish in three of their six games this week.

Marlins (vs. Washington, vs. Cincinnati) – The Marlins have a very tough slate this week, with scheduled matchups against Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos.

Brewers (@ Tampa Bay, @ St. Louis) – The Brewers will see Jake Odorizzi, Alex Cobb and David Price down in Florida before a crucial weekend set in St. Louis that has them going up against Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn.

Phillies (@ New York Mets, @ Washington) – Things do not begin easily for the Phillies this week, as they’ll take on Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee and Zack Wheeler in New York. It only gets harder in the nation’s capital over the weekend, with games against Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg.