Plenty of virtual ink already has been spilled by writers, analysts and pundits over whether the New York Mets should trade Jacob deGrom this month. But what does a former Mets exec have to say on the matter?
Adam Fisher, the former Mets senior director of baseball operations who spent 15 seasons with the organization, weighed in on all things deGrom on the latest edition of the Statcast™ podcast. The takeaway?
"You're not trading deGrom without [getting] one of baseball's top prospects," Fisher said. "Who would I be willing to trade him for? A young player who has the ability to be a top five prospect, like Gleyber Torres, Ronald Acuna Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. For me, if you're not getting that … then it's not worth the exercise."
"That's kind of what the Mets are doing," Fisher continued. "They're saying, 'Look, if you're willing to offer us one of those guys, we'll think about it.' "

Given the circumstances surrounding Torres and Acuna -- a pair of rookies who are helping the contending Yankees and Braves, respectively, this season -- it's unlikely either New York or Atlanta would consider moving them, even for deGrom.
As for Guerrero and Tatis, the Blue Jays and Padres are rebuilding clubs, so trading high-end future talent -- Guerrero and Tatis are Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects -- for a 30-year-old pitcher wouldn't necessarily fit with their direction as they look to build for 2019 and beyond.
That said, it's difficult to overstate the deGrom's value right now. Already an established ace entering this season, the right-hander is having his most impressive year yet, with an MLB-leading 1.68 ERA and career-best marks in WHIP (0.97) and strikeouts per nine (10.9).

"I think his value likely will never be higher," Fisher said, echoing MLB.com's Mike Petriello's recent take. "You would expect, based on that, this is the time when you would get the most for him."
That may be true, but the Mets certainly can be patient to an extent. After all, deGrom is making just $7.4 million this season and is under club control through 2020 -- all of which only adds to his appeal on the trade market.