It wasn't too long ago that starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard was among MLB's top hurlers. But he's looking to get his career back on track in 2024. Thankfully for him, plenty of teams are showing interest in signing him.
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The 2023 season was a disastrous one for Syndergaard. He began his campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and struggled mightily. Across 12 starts (55.1 innings), the right-hander went 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA, 1.45 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and 38 strikeouts. His tenure in L.A. ended when the Dodgers traded him to the Cleveland Guardians in July for infielder Amed Rosario.
Unfortunately for "Thor," his time in Cleveland wasn't much better. He spent one month with the Guardians before getting designated for assignment, prematurely ending his season. Across five starts (33.1 innings), he posted a 1-2 record with a 5.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 18 strikeouts.
Syndergaard has been allowing clubs to watch his offseason bullpen sessions. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Tuesday that 15 clubs have watched the right-hander throw in person, including the New York Yankees. Heyman also notes that Syndergaard's velocity has been clocked in the mid-90s.
Yankees are among about 15 teams that have gone to watch one of Noah Syndergaard’s pen sessions. Their interest level is unknown but he was said to be in the mid 90’s.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2024
That note about his velocity is significant because of what happened in 2023. Syndergaard had pitched a total of two big-league innings between 2020 and 2021 because he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. Before his injury, his average fastball velocity sat around 97-98 mph, according to FanGraphs.
His first full season back was 2022, which he split between the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. Syndergaard's average fastball velocity settled in at 94.5 mph. That's a significant drop; but he was still productive enough, twirling a 3.94 ERA with 2.2 fWAR (FanGraphs' wins above replacement calculation) in 134.2 innings. This number dropped again to 92.3 mph in 2023, which was likely one of the major reasons behind his struggles.
If his velocity is back to stay, the former Mets ace and 2016 All-Star could be a sneaky low-risk/high-reward acquisition for a club in need of rotation depth.
