CHICAGO — When Noah Syndergaard throws his first pitch in the major leagues Tuesday night, it will be another reflection point for the Mets' during the Sandy Alderson regime. An organization that has rebuilt itself on a deep well of talented young pitching will watch one more of those arms debut.

Perhaps none of his predecessors has accrued the hype of Syndergaard. Acquired in a trade from the Blue Jays in exchange for R.A. Dickey — then a reigning Cy Young winner — Syndergaard established himself as a top prospect in baseball. Now, he will comprise part of a starting rotation stocked with more talent than perhaps any other around the sport. The Mets' rotation of the future is nearing the present day.

Even without the injured Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz — still in Triple-A — the Mets will run out four pitchers, all with career ERAs under four and no older than 28 years old. Syndergaard will start the day after Jacob deGrom and Wednesday Matt Harvey will take the mound — as if one vibrant pitcher beget another.

"It's an exciting time for them," Jed Hoyer, the Cubs general manager, said. "They have a ton of pitching. They drafted pitching really well. They've traded for pitching really well. Wheeler's hurt but it's all coming together for them right now. They're in a great position as an organization when you look at the probable starters for the week. There's never an easy game. That's where these guys are right now."

That Syndergaard's debut comes against the Cubs presents a natural juxtaposition. The Cubs have become a recurrent foil for the Mets in organizational building. While the Mets have a glut of pitching, Chicago has fattened up on a trove of talented young hitters. If one succeeds but not the other, it could be used as a cudgel to bemoan the losing choice.

Kris Bryant, the most appealing of them all, homered off deGrom — only furthering his already booming reputation. But Addison Russell, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez all have engendered at least whispers of future stardom. Anthony Rizzo, an already established heavyweight at first base, is just 25 and his home run Monday night shot again proved his immense power.

Yet, Theo Esptein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations, asserts that the two team's philosophies aren't that different after all. Their execution, however, has been.

"I think they're sort of mirror images with the depth of talent," he said.

"I don't necessarily think it's philosophical."

Chicago values young pitching too, Epstein insists. But it has not been able to acquire it. When the Cubs looked to trade Jeff Samardzija last summer, they hoped to acquire a front of the rotation prospect but no talent enticed them like Russell, the 20-year-old shortstop they acquired from Oakland. Then a top prospect in baseball, he reached the majors last month.

Epstein admits the Cubs do not have the top-line pitching in their farm system the Mets have accrued but. But he almost bristles that they have been so different in approach than the Mets.

He and Alderson have both only chosen position players with their first round picks. And while the Mets have higher-end pitching in their system, both front offices operate under the guise that pitchers must be bundled in volume.

"I think too much has been made of it," Epstein said. "Are we happy that we have a stable of really talented young position players to build around? Absolutely. Does that leave us with a little bit of work to do on the mound long-term and with our depth? Yeah, it does. But I think in baseball it's impossible to cover everything. Unless you have limited payroll and many years working at it as a headstart, you have to sort of move your chips around and understand there's going to be certain areas where you're going to be short and address those."

It's clear that the Cubs have chosen a path subsumed with less risk. They believe pitchers need to be added in waves because they are seemingly combustible — prone to injury at any point.

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While the Mets have sought out high-ceiling pitchers like Syndergaard and Wheeler in trades, Epstein has chosen to find arms in other places. The Cubs signed Lester to a $155 million contract this winter. They traded for Jake Arrieta in 2013. Then a washout prospect, he has prospered in their rotation.

It is a response to the changing ecosystem of the sport. Acclaimed position players hardly reach free agency any more, leaving teams grasping for hitters on swollen contracts. Top pitchers — like Lester — can still be bought.

"With pitchers, there's risk in investing in pitching and there's even more risk in not investing in it," Epstein said. "Because the quickest way to sabotage a season is to run out of pitching. Everyone says there's risk in pitching and there is and it shortens the odds on you when you're spending a first round pick or a big trade asset or a nine-figure contract on a pitcher. It's not a comfortable feeling. But at the same time, if you never do those things, there's tremendous risk in not having enough pitching."

Already this season, the Mets have seen the truth of that maxim and their ability to combat it. While Wheeler and Dillon Gee have gone down with injuries, they have Syndergaard ready to come up, with Matz waiting in Las Vegas.

It is why the Mets have been so reticent to trade their young pitchers. Terry Collins, the Mets manager, says the organization has been tested at times but reminded itself that the payoff would come.

"It's exactly what we've been building towards," Collins said. "These young, powerful arms that know how to pitch. It's what every organization tries to do. It's been tough because there have been times with some big names out there that we said we've just got to hold tight. We've got to be patient because our guys are coming. And when they get here we're going to be good for a long period of time.

"I think that time is right around the corner. I hope it starts (Tuesday)."

At times, conventional wisdom has pointed the Mets towards the Cubs — their stocks of talent seemingly ripe for a trade. Even Hoyer joked Monday that it seemed only natural.

"I'm sure it'll happen at some point," he said. "It hasn't happened yet. The media has been trying to make a trade between the two teams for years."

While Epstein says he speaks with Alderson regularly, he maintains that the two sides have never been close on any deal. And the roadblocks to a trade now are seemingly growing.

Syndergaard and Russell are in the majors. And Alderson has repeatedly admitted a reluctance to trade talent as it nears the readiness to help at the major league level. With Matz on the doorstep of the Mets' rotation, the club is close to a staff full of low-salaried, highly valuable arms.

All that is certain is that the Cubs and Mets will meet for four games this week at Wrigley Field. From there, they could just continue down their parallel paths, eschewing their opportunity to make a trade.

"If there is, there is," Epstein said. "Those things are always easier in internet chat rooms than they are in reality."

Mike Vorkunov may be reached at mvorkunov@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Vorkunov. Find NJ.com Mets on Facebook.