Sydergaard blasts the Mets as season nears

Noah Syndergaard is mad as Hell, and he isn’t going to take it anymore.

The Mets hard-throwing right-hander delivered some high heat in the direction of the teams’ front office and ownership when he spoke candidly about his unhappiness with Jacob deGrom’s contract situation and the Mets travel schedule.

“Jake is the best pitcher in baseball right now,” Syndergaard told reporters, Sunday. “I think he deserves whatever amount he’s worth and I want to keep him happy so when it becomes time to reach free agency, he stays on our side and pitches for the Mets. I just think they should quit all this fuss and pay the man already.”

The comments come a day after deGrom told reporters that he was “less than optimistic” that a deal would be struck between his new agent and the Mets by a deadline of Opening Day, March 28.  Should neither side strike a deal by then, deGrom said he would cut off talks on a deal until after the season concludes.

Of course the pressure to get a deal down got ratcheted up the past few days when Chris Sale inked a five-year $145 million extension with the Boston Red Sox, and Justin Verlander signed a two-year $66 million extension in Houston. Both pitchers are over 30-years old.

Even the typically cash strapped Tampa Bay Rays broke the bank for their Cy Young winner Blake Snell, extending him to a five-year, $50 million deal.

 “If there wasn’t a trend of other guys getting contract extensions then I don’t know what the circumstance would be, but you see Chris Sale, Verlander, those guys getting extensions, I think it’s time Jacob gets one, too,” Syndergaard added.

Syndergaard later ripped into the Mets travel schedule, which includes a 130-mile bus trip from Port St. Lucie to Sarasota to scrimmage the Baltimore Orioles, before flying north to Syracuse for a workout on Tuesday. The Mets open the season, Thursday in Washington D.C.

“You think we would go to New York to get, like adults, our things, our affairs in order, but no, we have got to go to Syracuse first,” Syndergaard said. “I don’t know whose idea that was, but it’s not a smart one. I don’t think that’s conducive for winning ballgames with that much travel.”

Ouch. Watch out for the chin music Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

Syndergaard’s comments highlight what could be budding tension between the players and the Mets front office.

Even the New York Post’s Kevin Kernan reported a “sense the team’s displeasure” regarding the long road trip to end spring training. Syndergaard even told reporters that players have expressed their concerns to management about the situation, but it went “unheard.”

One has to wonder if Syndergaard’s comments are part of sume underlying frustration that finally boiled over.

In the last seven months Syndergaard has seen the front office hire the agent he and deGrom once shared in Brodie VanWagenen as their club’s next General Manager. Now the man once responsible for getting players the best deal possible, is now responsible for the Mets baseball finances.

Syndergaard then had to endure rampant speculation during the offseason that the Mets would consider trading him if a deal was right.

On top of that Syndergaard is thinking of his own contract future in blue and orange. With deGrom’s contract extension up in the air, and Zach Wheeler a free agent to be after the season, how the Mets handle the business side will serve as precedent for Syndergaard’s eventual contract negotiation.

While the Wilpon’s aren’t statistically as “cheap” as people think (they have a payroll of $146 million), for fans who have questioned ownerships commitment to excellence, they will look at Syndergaard’s comments as gospel.

With Opening Day just a couple of days away, this controversy is the last thing the Mets wanted going into a new season.