Noah Syndergaard remains an intriguing free agent option this late into the offseason. The Yankees recently went to one of his bullpen sessions, but are they interested enough to offer him a deal?
Heyman Report
On Tuesday, baseball reporter Jon Heyman posted quite an interesting tweet.
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
The Yankees desperately need pitching help after missing out on the Yamamoto sweepstakes, but is Syndergaard the best answer?
Thor’s History
When Syndergaard debuted with the Mets in 2015, he immediately made his presence felt across the league. Known for his overpowering heater and long blonde hair, he earned the moniker of “Thor.” The way he played, you might’ve believed it was him.
In his first two seasons, he compiled a 2.89 ERA with 384 strikeouts in only 333.2 innings pitched. He was on the fast track to being one of the best pitchers in the National League until injury struck in 2017.
It didn’t stop him from having two more strong seasons in Queens, including a 202-strikeout year in 2019, but his earned runs began to climb into the 4’s. He threw only two more innings over the next two years and was marked as injury-prone by the Mets’ fanbase.
Since 2021, Syndergaard has struggled to find a place to call home. He’s bounced between four teams (Angels, Phillies, Dodgers, and Guardians) in just two seasons and has failed to record even a 100-k campaign since 2019. Many credit this to his decline in fastball velocity, which, according to FanGraphs, fell to 92.3 mph in 2023 – a significant difference from his peak in 2017 at 98.3 mph.
Heyman’s tweet could suggest that he has found a way back to the median and may still have some gas in the tank.
Yankees’ Interest in Syndergaard
The Bronx Bombers are entering the final month of the offseason with limited answers on their pitching staff. Besides Gerrit Cole, the rotation is one injury away from becoming a repeat of the 2023 season. GM Brian Cashman has been adamant about helping his team for 2024 and has taken some big swings in the trade market to improve the offense. But for the pitching, it’s been crickets.
Part of the problem could be that star free agents like Snell and Montgomery may be asking for more than the Yankees can stomach right now since they already have the highest payroll in the sport.
With limited financial flexibility, getting a potential low-cost bounce-back candidate like Syndergaard may seem interesting to the Yankee front office.
At only 31, “Thor” still has some lightning in his arm and has shown he can pitch in big markets and bigger situations. The Yankees need the depth, but only time will tell if Syndergaard ends up in pinstripes.
Main Photo Credits: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
