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Port Authority, Vaughn College partner on new $1.3 million scholarship program

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is partnering with Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in East Elmhurst on a new $1.3 million scholarship program, part of the agency’s continuing effort to provide opportunities for local communities to share in the economic benefits of LaGuardia Airport’s massive $8 billion reconstruction project.

The initiative will provide residents with the opportunity to compete for a tuition-free college education in the aviation field as well as the promise of a full-time position in Aviation Operations at the Port Authority airports upon graduation and help the Port Authority in filling critical managerial positions in the years ahead.

Six incoming freshman in the 2019-2020 academic year will qualify for full, four-year scholarships. In addition to qualifying for a position with the Port Authority upon graduation, scholarship recipients will be offered paid internships at the Port Authority airports during their summers of their enrollment at Vaughn.

“With ongoing redevelopment at LaGuardia, it is critical that the Port Authority continue to invest in talent from the surrounding communities to help them take part in the opportunities that the new LaGuardia Airport will present,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “This program would not be possible without a strong, productive partnership between local elected officials and the Port Authority.”

To be eligible for a scholarship, students must live in Queens. Preference in the application process will be given to residents in East Elmhurst, Astoria, Corona and Willets Point.

Scholarship recipients would need to be enrolled in any four-year degree program at Vaughn and remain enrolled full-time at Vaughn College continuously, maintain a cumulative minimum grade point average of 3.0 and successfully complete Vaughn’s Career Development Seminar and participate in Vaughn’s Leadership Academy.

“We are incredibly excited about the opportunity to partner with the Port Authority on the redevelopment scholarship program,” Vaughn College President Sharon DeVivo said. “Our long-term relationship with the Port Authority and LaGuardia Airport, and our mission of providing a transformative education with a lifetime of opportunity for every student will continue to flourish while Queens residents share in the benefit of LaGuardia’s redevelopment.”

Additional eligibility criteria and scholarship applications will be published later this summer and be posted to the Vaughn College and Port Authority websites. Scholarship winners will be chosen by a joint Vaughn College and Port Authority panel.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

Whitestone man sentenced for multiple auto-related crimes: DA

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Julia Moro

TimesLedger Newspapers

Michael Cipriati, 34, of 11th Avenue in Whitestone, has been sentenced to jail for stealing more than a dozen catalytic converters from vehicles parked on various streets throughout Queens County between October 2017 and December 2017, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

“With the price of scrap metal continuing to increase, this mechanically inclined defendant brazenly stole the parts and then sold them to a recycling facility in the Bronx for cash. The sentence imposed today is warranted,” Brown said Monday.

Cipriati pleaded guilty to second-degree auto stripping in Queens Supreme Court last month and was sentenced by Judge Toni Cimino to one year in jail.

According to the criminal charges, between Oct. 20, 2017, and Dec. 6, 2017, the defendant removed 15 catalytic converters from a number of vehicles parked in neighborhoods throughout Queens, including Flushing, Astoria, Long Island City, College Point, Jackson Heights, Little Neck and Sunnyside Gardens.

The defendant stole from a Ford Econoline van, Toyota Prius, Acura TL, Dodge Sprinter van, Honda Odyssey, Suzuki Grand Vitara, Mercedes Benz, Honda Element, Mitsubishi Endeavor, Mitsubishi Outlander and Chevy Cavalier, according to the charges,

Brown said the defendant was seen removing the catalytic converters from vehicles and cell phone records revealed that Cipriati’s mobile phone was in the area at the time the valuable car parts were stolen. On at least 11 of the occasions the catalytic converters were stolen, the defendant sold the car part on the same day to Alpha Recycling in the Bronx, according to the charges.

At the time of the defendant’s arrest, Cipriati was seen driving a Mercedes Benz with a suspended license and had two Oxycodone pills in his possession, the DA said.

Brown said that his office has made great improvements to reduce auto-related thefts in Queens. Since his first year as district attorney in 1991, the rate of vehicle thefts in Queens has dropped by more than 90 percent, Brown said.

“This accomplishment can be attributed in part to driving home this message: If you steal autos and auto parts in Queens County, you will be caught and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.

Reach reporter Julia Moro by e-mail at jmoro@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4574.

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Source: Times Ledger

If you see something, sometimes you should keep your mouth shut

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Lenore Skenazy

TimesLedger Newspapers

Every couple of weeks I get an e-mail from someone time-stamped 2 or 3 a.m., because the sender can’t sleep. Here’s one that came three weeks ago, shortened a bit:

“Dear Lenore: I am a special police officer in Washington, DC. I wake up 4 a.m. to work 6 a.m.–6 p.m. and get home by 8 p.m. No family at all. No support. Never been arrested or anything. Don’t drink. Don’t smoke. Don’t date. Don’t party. I literally have no life trying to be the best parent I can. My son is 2 and had fallen asleep after our second grocery store looking for rice milk. It was 7:50 p.m. and 65 degrees.”

Can you guess what happened next? She let him snooze in the car a few minutes while she got the special milk. She emerged to find “multiple police cars” swarming.

Why?

Someone had called 911 about a child alone in a car. As if that is automatically neglect. The police grilled the mom for an hour, “All looking at me like the worst mother ever. I can potentially lose my career over this. How then will I support us?”

Until she finds out whether she is let off with a warning or is found guilty of a crime, this mom doesn’t know what lies ahead. Perhaps nothing but a bad memory, but perhaps the life of a single mom out of a job, forced to live someplace cheap and dangerous. How will that make her son “safer”?

It won’t.

And here’s a note I got today. It should sound familiar:

“Dear Lenore: I’m a father of two boys in a Midwestern suburb. I took my kids to school, one of them threw up on the way. So I took him home and cleaned him up. I’m a dad that works at home. I’d sent two files for FedEx to print so I went to pick them up. My son said, ‘I feel better, dad. Can I stay in the car?’ ”

Reader, what would you do? I’d do what this papa did:

“I parked in front of the FedEx, which is completely made of glass. He’s in plain sight. It’s 63 degrees, the windows are open, the doors are locked.”

Again, someone called 911. Long story short:

“Child protective services made a ruling and I will be marked as a ‘child abuser’ for five years. I’m a 40-year-old man, without a single mark on my record. But because of this, I won’t be able to coach my kids’ teams any more or go on field trips with them. What do I do?”

Right now, there’s not much any parent can do other than stop calling 911 when you see a child in a car and it isn’t boiling hot and the car is in view of a retail establishment.

A truly good Samaritan does not set a case in motion against a family. A good Samaritan stands by the car a few minutes to make sure the parents are coming right back, or goes into the store to see if they can locate them.

How dare I say that? Here’s how:

• Kids do not die the instant they are in an unmoving car. Of the 30–40 children who die in cars each year, KidsandCars.org reports, the overwhelming majority were forgotten there or climbed into a car unbeknownst to the parent and couldn’t get out. They were not just waiting out a brief errand.

• Believe it or not, more kids die from getting hit by cars in parking lots than in parked cars. So let’s stop pretending “Take the kid out, he’s automatically safe. Leave him in, he’s automatically in danger.” Plenty of parents rue the day they took their kids out of the car instead of letting them wait.

• Yes, cars get hot in the summer. So don’t get mad at parents who leave the air conditioning on while they run in to get a gallon of milk.

• If you see a child in someplace like the IBM parking lot, that kid is in danger. Clearly she’s been forgotten by a parent who went into work. Calling for emergency help there makes sense. Calling in front of the grocery does not.

• Remember we are all in this together. Let’s support parents like that valiant mom, above. And let’s assume that most parents who make a seat-of- the-pants decision are not evil or abusive, but just trying to do what makes sense in the moment, like that dad, above.

• Since forgetting kids is the real danger, the best prevention is to put your phone or wallet in the backseat with your child. That way even if you’re distracted, you will open the door to get your wallet and see your precious child.

Lenore Skenazy president of Let Grow, and founder of Free-Range Kids.

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Source: Times Ledger

Supreme Court upholds Trump’s controversial travel ban

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

Queens’ elected officials and state officials railed against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to uphold President Donald Trump’s controversial Muslim travel ban with a 5-4 ruling.

The policy, which Trump has referred to as a watered-down version of the first two iterations of his plan, will prohibit travel from eight nations, including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Chad and Somalia — all majority Muslim nations — while North Korea and Venezuela are also on the list.

Chief Justice John Roberts, along with justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, penned the majority opinion. He wrote that the ban “does not exceed any textual limit on the President’s authority.”

Trump celebrated his victory on Twitter, writing “Supreme Court upholds travel ban. Wow!”

The president has argued that the policy would make the United States safer from hostile foreigners. The first executive order Trump signed back in January 2017 was turned aside by lower courts, and the second was allowed to partially go into effect by the Supreme Court last year, expiring in September.

Rallies were held in New York City and across the nation. Locally, hundreds of lawyers and volunteers headed to Kennedy Airport to assists detained travelers from 20 nations after Trump announced the ban. Protests at JFK sparked actions across the country, including a demonstration at Battery Park which drew more than 30,000 protesters.

The case was first filed by the state of Hawaii and advanced all the way to the Supreme Court. Opponents of the legislation claimed that it was motivated by racism and religious discrimination.

Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement Tuesday declaring “New York City will continue to welcome people from all over the world to our shores, from all faith traditions.”

“This ban is institutionalized Islamophobia, promoted under the guise of national security,” de Blasio. “Banning people from our country on the basis of religion is an affront to our founding ideals. With this decision, the highest court in the land has sent a message of exclusion and division across the globe… Our values have helped make our city the safest big city in the United States — and they are what make America great.”

Half of Queens residents are foreign-born and close to 40 percent of all the people living in New York City come from other nations.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz also chimed in with a statement.

“The Supreme Court has been on the wrong side of history before, and history will judge this decision just as harshly,” Katz said Tuesday morning. “Such state-sanctioned discrimination and xenophobia have rendered some of the deepest stains on our nation’s history. Queens – the birthplace of religious freedom in the United States courtesy of the Flushing Remonstrance, home to over 2.3 million residents (half of whom were born abroad), and host to New York City’s two major airports – is deeply disappointed by this decision that affirms such wholesale profiling.”

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) warned that the Supreme Court’s decision will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

“This is a deeply shameful decision that strikes at the heart of the principles our nation was founded on and the values we hold dear as Americans,” he said. “Instituting a religious test and vilifying refugees seeking asylum is immoral, ignorant, and hateful. President Trump’s Muslim Ban is the antithesis to everything we stand for, and we will continue to fight against this policy and this administration’s xenophobic and intolerant agenda.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “the Trump travel ban is a gross violation of our American values, and the Supreme Court’s ruling along partisan lines does nothing to change that.”

“This shameful and bigoted policy is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to govern by hate and division and continue the federal government’s assault on immigrants,” he added.

State Attorney General Barbara Underwood called Trump’s travel ban “a stain on American history that (was) rooted in deep anti-Muslim animus and unleashed chaos on families, businesses, institutions and communities throughout New York.”

Despite the ruling, “New York will continue to serve as a beacon to the world, welcoming people of all faiths, races, nationalities and backgrounds,” she added.

Former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman led a coalition of 17 attorneys general around the nation and filed a new amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in March opposing Trump’s third travel ban. Underwood is looking forward to continuing the fight.

“I’m proud of our work to successfully beat back President Trump’s first two discriminatory bans,” Underwood said. “My office won’t hesitate to act to protect New York’s families and ensure that we live up to the values on which this state and this nation were built.”

Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) said on Twitter that the Supreme Court had erred in upholding the travel ban.

“This is a mistake. It’s a discriminatory policy, period. The policy came out of Trump’s stated desire to achieve ‘a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.’ As Maya Angelou said, ‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them.’ #NoMuslimBanEver.”

Reach reporter Zach Gewelb by e-mail at zgewelb@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4539.

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Source: Times Ledger

Queens stands up

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

TimesLedger Newspapers

Queens lawmakers and city officials have spoken out against the U.S. Supreme’s Court decision to uphold President Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban and they should be applauded for doing so.

The policy — which the president says will make our country safer — will prohibit travel from eight nations, including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Chad and Somalia, North Korea and Venezuela.

New York City is home to over 3.1 million immigrants and nearly 1.1 million immigrants live in Queens, according to figures in a March report from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Those who reside in Queens, the nation’s most ethnically diverse county, need to know that their elected officials will support them and that seems to be the case after watching the swift response to the travel ban.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley said “this decision will be remembered as one where the Supreme Court of the United States legitimized discrimination and religious intolerance.”

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said “the Supreme Court has been on the wrong side of history before, and history will judge this decision just as harshly.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Speaker Corey Johnson and state Attorney General Barbara Underwood also criticized the Supreme Court for its controversial decision.

Several elected officials in Queens have held workshops for immigrants who live in their districts to explain their rights and current laws.

Katz’s office was scheduled to host a series of free informational “Know Your Rights” workshops and confidential legal clinics for immigrants in Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Flushing, Elmhurst and Sunnyside.

Our lawmakers have fought in favor of immigrant families who have had children separated from their parents.

Katz declared that “we are better than this. We must be better than this” and “Queens will continue to do everything possible to help counteract the hostility of the current political climate” in an Op-Ed in the TimesLedger Newspapers last week.

And de Blasio, along with and mayors from more than a dozen other U.S. cities, gathered last week near a holding facility for migrant children on the Texas border with Mexico. While the group was turned away from going inside the facility, the effort was there.

Queens residents know that their elected officials will stand up and fight for what’s right. They can see that our lawmakers are doing everything they can to defend our friends, families and neighbors in a battle with the president of the United States. It’s not a battle that will be easily won, but it is certainly one worth fighting.

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Source: Times Ledger

SBS to give away $1.8M in grants to small businesses

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

A day after testifying in front of members of the House of Representatives last week about the importance of small businesses, New York City Small Business Commissioner Gregg Bishop announced his office will be giving away $1.8 million in grants to help 20 businesses.

Small businesses across the city that are eligible for the grant can receive up to $90,000 in grant funding as well as expert advice, according to Bishop’s June 21 announcement.

Seth Bornstein, the executive director of Queens County Economic Development Corporation, estimated that there are 45,000 small businesses in Queens.

“Unlike other city agencies that work with businesses, we do not enforce regulations, but rather provide the necessary services to help them start, operate and grow,” said Bishop.

The applications for local, non-franchise small businesses to apply for a share of the $1.8 million NYC Love Your Local grant and the expert advice has a July 17 deadline and will be open to businesses that have been operating for at least three years in any of the city’s five boroughs, according to SBS.

The selected businesses will receive up to 20 hours of in-depth consultations from industry specialists who will aid entrepreneurs in improving their operations, recruiting and training employees, updating technology, enhancing their business location, improving financial management skills and adapting to rising real estate costs.

“New Yorkers love their mom-and-pop shops, and the proof is in the overwhelming support for these businesses on our NYC Love Your Local interactive map and social media campaign,” said Bishop. “These grant awards are the next step in the city’s commitment to ensure that neighborhood businesses remain central to the New York City experience.”

The Small Business Service’s NYC Love Your Local initiative was launched in February 2017 and has an interactive map where New Yorkers can share their favorite local small business to promote shopping locally, according to SBS. There are nearly 2,000 businesses featured on it.

The Door, an elegant Jamaican restaurant in Jamaica; Viaroma a fashion boutique in the Murray Hill section of Flushing; and the Eastern Queens Boxing Club in Queens Village are just a few of some of the small businesses in the borough that are featured on the map.

The grant is partly funded by the city Economic Development Corporation and the awardees will be selected in September, according to SBS.

“New York City’s economy is thriving, and small businesses have always been critical to that success,” said James Patchett, NYCEDC President and CEO.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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Source: Times Ledger

Hundreds rally against separation of immigrant children from their families

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Queens residents turned out by the hundreds Monday night to march against the White House policy of separating undocumented children from their families and detaining them in specialized facilities.

The march, organized by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), started at St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church at 58-02 Roosevelt Ave. in Woodside and ended at Noonan Playground in Sunnyside.

Signs advocated keeping families together while promoting #QueensValues. Many in the march spoke English as a second language.

“Despite what President Trump would say, we know that immigrants are welcome here in Queens, refugees are welcome here and families belong together” Van Bramer said. “I’m sure like me, all of you were horrified by the images of children being ripped away from their mothers and their families and being sent away and detained thousands of miles in some cases from the very parents they need to be with. We have a president who talks about immigrants infesting our country, invading our country. He is a racist. He hates immigrants and he must not get away with this.”

At the march were representatives from SEIU 32BJ, Make the Road NY, Emerald Isle Immigration Center, Woodside on the Move, Jacob Riis Settlement House, a number of Girl Scouts from the area and state Assemblyman Brian Barnwell (D-Maspeth).

Leandra Requena told her story about crossing the Mexican border at 25 into the United States with her 5-year-old daughter rather than allowing her young family to “suffer” in a violent country.

“When I see [the children in detainment], it breaks my heart and I say how cruel, how despicable is this president? He doesn’t have humanity. He doesn’t have any kind of values,” Requena said.

Van Bramer chose Roosevelt Avenue through Woodside and Sunnyside for the diversity of the two neighborhoods, especially their Hispanic immigrants.

“Donald Trump may have been raised in this borough,” Van Bramer continued to the sounds of boos. “But what he says and believes in his heart is not what we believe in Queens.”

Trump, one of five children, lived with his family in Jamaica Estates.

Judy Zangwill from Sunnyside Community Services said many immigrants are represented by the group, which is a senior center but also has programs for all ages.

Jose Leon, a senior staff attorney with Catholic Migration Services, said he was appalled by the images of children in detention and that the organization he represents will continue fighting for immigrants.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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Source: Times Ledger

Su-Casa Residency artists showcase their work at program-ending finale

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Rod Ivey

TimesLedger Newspapers

Participants of the Su-Casa Residency Program at the Theodora Jackson Adult Center showcased their artwork in a program-ending finale last week.

The program participants presented their original silk scarves, designed and hand-painted over the last six months, at the June 18 event. The director of Su-Casa, Anthonia Akinbola. also unveiled a large painting that the entire program created together.

“The artwork provides an item that is wearable and valuable as something they can use and see,” Akinbola said.

Theodora Jackson Adult Center — located at 92-47 165th St. in Jamaica — is run under the direction of Cynthia Ellington and provides exercise, lunch and special trips to the seniors of Jamaica.

A dozen of the clients attended the unveiling and modeled their fashions that stylishly accessorized the outfits they wore. Participants of the program felt the creation of wearable silk scarves was useful as well as beautiful.

“It provides me with a skill that could also be used in a business,” said Aminah, an artist and participant.

Akinbola and her husband, Patrick, created the art program together. They are both from Nigeria and met while receiving degrees at the University of Missouri, where they started their art programs. They later relocated to New York City to get greater support for the programs.

This particular showcase was sponsored by an award from the Queens Council On the Arts.

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Source: Times Ledger

Flushing teen struck and killed by elderly driver in Whitestone

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

The father of a 17-year-old girl from Flushing who was killed in Whitestone by an elderly driver Monday said she was not on her cellphone when she entered the crosswalk.

An 88-year-old Flushing woman was arrested and charged after fatally striking Madeline Sershen in the crosswalk at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Utopia Parkway, police said.

Sheila Kahn-Prager, of 166th Street, was driving a 2005 Toyota traveling southbound on Utopia Parkway when she allegedly blew through a red light at about 10:30 a.m. and hit the St. Francis Prep student, police said.

Officers from the 109th Precinct responded to a 911 call and discovered Madeline on the pavement with severe head trauma. EMS transported her to New York Presbyterian Hospital in Flushing, where she was pronounced dead, according to authorities.

Madeline’s father, Eric Sershen, wrote a heart-wrenching post on Facebook saying, “Maddie’s phone was in her bag (not texting or listening to music) and I can only hope, she didn’t even see it coming.”

Police charged Kahn-Prager with failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to exercise due care, and a traffic device violation after striking Sershen at the crosswalk.

Madeline’s father went on to describe his anguish over losing his daughter.

“After hugging her for 15 minutes as she lay dead in the ER and consoling the rest of the family, I went off to work to keep my mind busy. My phone was ‘blowing up’ from family and friends all day. It was rough,” he said.

Patrick McLaughlin, the principal at St. Francis Prep said the school will be in communication with the family to plan some kind of prayer service during the summer and will host a remembrance prayer service when school returns in the fall.

“Obviously, it’s a very difficult for everyone. We’ve been communicating with the staff, faculty and students from the website and the emergency calling system to get out the sad news,” McLaughlin said. “Maddie was a great student, very well liked, very quiet, but very well liked by everyone. This loss is felt by everyone.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by PS 79 Francis Lewis School in Whitestone, where Madeline’s mother works.

“Madeline’s mother, Catherine, is a valued employee of the PS 79 school community and we cannot imagine the pain she and her family are feeling,” the GoFundMe page said. “While no amount of money can erase this horrible tragedy, we as a school community want to support Catherine and her family during this painful time. We are asking for donations to help ease the burden of funeral costs that the family will incur.”

As of Wednesday, more than $27,000 had been raised in one day, surpassing the fund-raiser’s $10,000 goal.

— Additional reporting by Julia Moro.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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Source: Times Ledger

Time for Mets to look toward the future

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Mets’ tragic season continues.

In addition to the team’s struggles on the field and numerous injuries keeping players off the field, the Mets announced Tuesday that general manager Sandy Alderson is taking a leave of absence from the club to continue his fight with cancer.

Alderson was originally diagnosed in 2015 and said the cancer returned in April or May of this year.

“Since that time I’ve been undergoing treatment,” Alderson said during a news conference Tuesday. “I expect to have surgery later in the summer. My prognosis is actually good.”

Alderson will step away from the team immediately, and it is not known when or if he will return to his role as general manager.

“If I were to look at it on the merits, I’m not sure coming back is warranted,” Alderson said.

With Alderson sidelined, the Mets will turn to some of Alderson’s closest advisors in the organization, John Ricco, Omar Minaya and J.P. Ricciardi, to run the team.

The trio will work to turn the Mets’ season around, thought it may be too late to do that. With Alderson’s future with the club uncertain, perhaps now is the time to start a long overdue youth movement.

The Mets loaded up on veterans in hoping of making a postseason push this year. Those dreams now seem to be unrealistic. After a red-hot 11-1 start to the season, the Mets have fallen well under .500 and are fighting to stay above the horrid Miami Marlins in the National League East standings.

With the playoffs out of the picture, the Mets should look to deal their veterans and jumpstart their rebuild.

Everyone outside of Jacob deGrom, Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario should be available in a trade.

Asdrubal Cabrera can fetch a couple of solid prospects from a contending team — perhaps the Dodgers, who have lost star shortstop Corey Seager for the season due to injury.

Todd Frazier would give a contender a strong defender, professional bat and a leader in the clubhouse. Yoenis Cespedes, if he’s healthy, could bring back a nice package, though the Mets would likely have to eat some money to get a better prospect haul.

Their biggest trade chip is probably Noah Syndergaard. The ace has been sidelined for most of the season, but would give a huge boost to any playoff contending team. He would also bring back the best package — outside of deGrom, that is — in terms of prospects, due to the fact that the team who acquires him would control him through the 2021 season. It wouldn’t be out of the question to ask for three or four top prospects for a guy like Syndergaard.

While Alderson’s situation is something no one should have to go through, it could provide an opportunity for the Mets to turn the page and kick off the next era of baseball in Queens.

Reach reporter Zach Gewelb by e-mail at zgewelb@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4539.

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Source: Times Ledger