Brodie Van Wagenen, several hours before Sunday’s Rockies-Mets series finale, addressed a group of season-ticket holders sitting down the left-field line at Citi Field and mentioned anticipating earlier than standard action in the trade market, in part because waiver deals will no longer be allowed in August.

And a few teams have become aggressive with the draft concluding last week and Dallas Keuchel (Braves) and Craig Kimbrel (Cubs) signing. For the Mets, though, there must be patience. They are still determining whether they are contenders or not, and one team official admitted prudence is their current best alternative.

Noah Syndergaard symbolizes the team uncertainty. Who is he? The guy who entered Sunday with a 4.83 ERA? Or the guy who overpowered the Rockies in seven one-hit innings?

The answer about Syndergaard could provide the 2019 Mets’ identity. For they are either going to rise behind a thriving rotation or they are going to be sellers. They enter the Subway Series having won four of five because in this rotation turn their starters registered a 1.80 ERA, culminating with vintage Syndergaard in a 6-1 triumph over Colorado.

Dave Eiland said Syndergaard “has been working his ass off” during mound sessions between starts to gain better balance over the rubber. In the pitching coach’s words, “it clicked” against the Rockies with “the cleanest delivery I’ve ever seen him have.” That enabled Syndergaard to pinpoint his four-seam fastball and, thus, rely on it.

Syndergaard threw his four-seamer 53 times, the most since the sixth start of his career in 2015. He registered 11 swings and misses with the pitch, tying his best from July 7, 2015. Syndergaard was particularly aggressive with the pitch early, getting 10 swings and misses in the first two innings — eight with the four-seamer. That just set up the rest of his repertoire.

Syndergaard threw a first-pitch strike to 17-of-23 hitters and was either 0-2 or 1-2 on 13 of them. He went to a three-ball count just three times, walked two and picked off Trevor Story after a first-inning walk, indicating better maintenance of the running game.

The only hit off Syndergaard was a second-inning grounder by Nolan Arenado that had the Mets not been in a shift would have been a routine out. Adeiny Hechavarria slid to try to field the ball, but it went off his glove. Arenado never got beyond first. No Rockie did during Syndergaard’s seven shutout innings.

“I’m optimistic,” Eiland said about Syndergaard getting on a roll. “But games like this can’t be a sometime thing. They have to be more regular. I am not saying one hit, no runs through seven innings. But getting us deep into games with minimal runs like Zack Wheeler has been doing.”

Wheeler, who is tied for the major league lead in seven-inning starts with eight, is the most likely Met to be moved if the team sells because he is in his walk year. Syndergaard comes next, having already been shopped last offseason.

They have it in their hands — literally — to prevent that. It is up to the rotation to push the Mets (32-33) from toying with .500 to no-doubt contention. Van Wagenen obviously wants to be a buyer. After all, he is the GM because his sales pitch that rebuilding was unnecessary aligned with the Wilpons’ desires. He then called the Mets the team to beat in the NL East. The plan not to rebuild and the confidence in the club were foremost about the rotation.

And imagine if you were told before the season that entering the first Subway Series Syndergaard, Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz would be robust enough to make the Mets one of just six teams with four pitchers with at least 12 starts and the fifth wheel, Jason Vargas, would be the most positive surprise on the roster? That would make Van Wagenen’s team-to-beat boast real, right?

But in part because Syndergaard has been healthy but underperforming the Mets are sub-.500 and five games out. That is why Sunday needed to be a U-turn moment for Syndergaard. His fastball was again a weapon and while his slider might not be the consistent 92-mph devastation of the past following his lat injury last year, Eiland said Syndergaard had changed his thumb positioning and the pitch is beginning to have better location and shape.

“His mound presence was there,” Eiland said after watching Syndergaard dominate. “His swagger was back.”

Syndergaard is the Mets. Plenty of talent. Plenty of mystery. Which way does it go?