Mets Notes: Syndergaard, Harvey, Collins, Bruce, D’Arnaud

Westeros is a long way from Citi Field, though that didn’t stop Noah Syndergaard from appearing in tonight’s episode of Game Of Thrones.  The Mets right-hander was on set last November in Spain to work as an extra as part of a large battle scene.  Without giving away spoilers, Syndergaard gets to show off his throwing motion in the form of tossing a spear, though he faces an even larger challenge than trying to get through the Nationals lineup.

Here’s some more news from King’s Landing Queens…

• The futures of Terry Collins and Matt Harvey are examined by ESPN.com’s Buster Olney in his latest subscriber-only column.  Collins’ contract is up at the end of the season, and the manager hinted last fall that he could potentially step away from the game due to the increasingly tough grind of the 162-game schedule.  Olney opines that the seeming lack of any extension talks could be a sign that the two sides could be close to parting ways, and that Collins and the Mets should figure out “a graceful resolution” in a nod to Collins’ success with the club.
• As for Harvey, it is widely expected around the game that the right-hander won’t return to the Mets after he becomes a free agent after the 2018 season.  If this is the case, Olney wonders if the Mets should simply part ways with Harvey now if they don’t think he can be a solid contributor to next year’s team, whether due to continued health problems or off-the-field issues.  Newsday’s Marc Carig reports that some teams have explored buy-low trade offers for Harvey, but the Mets aren’t interested.  If the righty was shopped, it appears there would be some interest; Olney hears from agents and evaluators that Harvey would receive a deal in the neighborhood of $10MM with incentives if he were a free agent available on a one-year contract this offseason.
• The Mets received “zero bites” on Jay Bruce prior to the trade deadline, a team official tells Newsday’s Marc Carig.  Only a few teams called about the veteran slugger at all, and Carig notes that the lack of interest may have been due to multiple reasons apart from Bruce’s actual performance (such as teams putting more value on prospects than on rental players, a lack of contenders looking for corner outfield or first base help, or the fact that Bruce’s power bat is no longer quite as special due to the explosion of home runs around the league).  As Carig notes, this could be a bad sign for Bruce as he hits free agency this offseason, which could potentially lead to the outfielder re-signing with the Mets, if probably not accepting a qualifying offer should the Mets extend one.
• Also from Carig’s piece, he writes that Travis d’Arnaud is still part of the Mets’ future plans, as per a team source.  The catcher has hit .240/.293/.421 with nine home runs over 239 PA this season and, perhaps most importantly, has stayed relatively healthy (apart from a few missed weeks in May due to a wrist bruise.  D’Arnaud is under team control through the 2019 season, though his name did surface in trade talks last year as the Mets exploring upgrading behind the plate.