Noah Syndergaard will look to prove his worth with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after signing a one-year deal.
The Los Angeles Angels have signed free agent starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $21 million deal, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Syndergaard is going to get an opportunity to show what he has in the tank after an injury-riddled beginning to his career. He is counting on staying healthy and producing as he did before suffering multiple elbow injuries in order to sign a long-term contract in the future.
Syndergaard was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 and was part of the R.A. Dickey trade that sent him to the New York Mets in 2012. He debuted in 2015, starting 24 games and helping the Mets reach the World Series. In 2016, he started 30 games and had an ERA of 2.60. Things were looking historically great for the one they called Thor, but then the injury troubles began.
In 2017, Syndergaard suffered a torn lateral muscle at the beginning of May, with kept him out for almost the entire season. 2018 started roughly when he tore a ligament in his finger that kept him out for almost the entire first half. He stayed healthy in 2019, the first season of his career he did not land on the injured list. However, the right-hander underwent Tommy John Surgery in May of 2020, keeping him out for the entire season and into 2021. After multiple setbacks with inflammation in his repaired elbow all season long, he made just two starts at the end of 2021.
The Angels pay up to win the Syndergaard bid and bolster their rotation
With the addition of Syndergaard, the Angels now have a top arm to create a one-two punch with Shohei Ohtani at the top of the rotation. They outbid the Mets, who submitted a qualifying offer of one-year, $18.4 million. The Angels will also be surrendering a second round draft pick in the deal because the Mets offered him the qualifying offer.
With Marcus Stroman also on the free agent market and potentially looking elsewhere, the Mets now need to look for yet another replacement to add to their rotation. The good news is they still have Jacob DeGrom and Carlos Carrasco at the top.
Some pitching options still available on the market include Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Justin Verlander, and the aforementioned Stroman.