Is Tonight Noah Syndergaard's Last with the Mets?

Noah Syndergaard has been a fan favorite in Queens since he was called up in 2015 and dazzled fans with his 100 mph fastball, and quick wit.  Fondly nicknamed Thor because of his resemblance to the comic book character, Syndergaard embraced New York as much as the city and its fans embraced him.

He became the star of a once perceived vaunted rotation with Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Zach Wheeler. As we all know now that rotation wasn't so vaunted. Harvey is gone, his baseball career in taters. Matz and Wheeler have battled inconsistencies and injury. Even Syndergaard has had his issues with both inconsistency and injury over the past five seasons.

The best of the bunch, deGrom is not going anywhere having inked a five-year deal before the 2019 season started.

But what about Syndergaard -- considered by many to be the Mets second-best starter? His future is in doubt. The Mets have been dangling Syndergaard in trade rumors since spring training, and they the speculation has only intensified the past two weeks.

The Mets sent mixed messages about their true intentions for the rest of the season and next year when they acquired Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays. Stroman is a win-now type of pitcher, but the Mets are rebuilding, right?

Even with Stroman in the mix it appears the Mets still prefer to trade Syndergaard inspite of continued pleas from the fan base not to do so. If the Mets leave the top of their rotation alone, they would have deGrom, Stroman and Syndergaard at the top. That is not bad at all for a team that still thinks it has a sliver of a chance at the postseason.

Will Thor head to the Yankees or the Padres or the Astros? All three teams have been rumored suitors.

Still there is a belief among baseball insiders that there is a chance Syndergaard may stay in New York. Both Jon Heyman and Jeff Passon say they Mets may keep Syndergaard because the asking price is too high right now for him. Keep in mind the Mets set the market themselves when they sent two minor league pitchers to Toronto that are not considered top 100 talents for the rights to Stroman.

Heyman even said the Mets are more likely to deal Wheeler who is a free agent this winter.

Regardless, tonight when the Mets visit Guaranteed Rate Field (New Comisky Park for you baseball lifers out there) to face the Chicago White Sox, it might be Syndergaard's last start in a Mets uniform.

Syndergaard is 7-5 with a 4.33 ERA this season. A solid outing against the White Sox could accomplish one of two things. 1) A win over the White Sox would better the Mets chances and self-belief that they still have a chance at the playoffs. 2) A solid outing against Chicago could help a team  decide whether to relinquish a top prospect to the Mets for the right-hander.

It's the ultimate double-edged sword, and Thor is in the middle of it.