Noah Syndergaard is finally back in the majors, as the Mets have reinstated the right-hander from the 60-day injured list. Syndergaard will start the second game of New York’s doubleheader with the Marlins today, and officially act as the 29th man for the twin bill. Catcher Chance Sisco was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
It was almost exactly two years ago that Syndergaard last pitched in a big league game, tossing seven innings in a 7-6 Mets win over the Braves on September 29, 2019. The former All-Star then underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and was initially projected to return around midseason, but a bout of elbow inflammation delayed Syndergaard’s return even further.
Now, the man they call “Thor” will only make a cameo appearance or two in the Mets’ final few games, though Syndergaard will surely feel comforted by getting some proper game action under his belt before another long offseason. Syndergaard isn’t expected to work as a true starting pitcher, as he will serve as an opener today and could see work out of the bullpen for any other appearances.
Syndergaard’s extended absence was far from the only thing that went wrong for the 2021 Mets, and given how some pitchers don’t look quite themselves in their first outings back from TJ surgery, it isn’t any guarantee that a healthy Syndergaard would’ve provided a midseason boost even if he had met his projected recovery time.
Between a 2017 season that was limited to 30 1/3 innings due to injuries, and now the 2020-21 campaigns, Syndergaard has already endured three lost seasons in his brief MLB career. When he has been able to pitch, Syndergaard has looked like a top-of-the-rotation arm, posting a 3.31 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate, and 20.7 K-BB% over 716 innings from 2015-19.
It makes for one of the winter’s more intriguing free agent cases, as Syndergaard will hit the open market at the end of the year. An argument can certainly be made that the Mets should issue a qualifying offer to Syndergaard, as a one-year contract in the $20MM range is a worthy investment for a frontline pitcher and Thor might be apt to take such a deal as a pillow contract to set himself up for a longer-term deal in the 2022-23 offseason. Retaining Syndergaard would also provide some rotation depth in the event that Marcus Stroman leaves in free agency.
On the other hand, the Mets might have some natural reservation about committing $20MM to a pitcher who has missed essentially two full years. With Robinson Cano’s contract returning to the books, the Mets will have less payroll space to either re-sign such noteworthy free agents as Stroman, Syndergaard, Javier Baez or Michael Conforto, or to acquire suitable replacements for the roster. Then again, owner Steve Cohen might not consider the luxury tax threshold to be an impediment for the Mets’ to-be-determined next president of baseball operations, and Cohen might be more motivated to spend big after his club’s disappointing season.
From Syndergaard’s perspective, he’ll at least get a bit of a showcase to prove that he is healthy, even if a handful of innings won’t necessarily assuage the concerns of any interested teams looking to sign him this winter. His free agent market could be hampered by the specter of draft pick compensation if he did reject the QO, but Syndergaard’s ceiling is high enough that an enterprising team could still be willing to take the plunge on more than one guaranteed year.
New York claimed Sisco off waivers from the Orioles in June, and the catcher appeared in only five games with the Mets at the big league level. Sisco had some respectable numbers in part-time duty with the O’s over the last two seasons, but his defensive struggles and a big lack of production at the start of 2021 led the Orioles to part ways with the former top prospect. For the season as a whole, Sisco is hitting only .149/.241/.189 over 83 combined plate appearances with New York and Baltimore.
Just in time for the World Series run!
2-3 innings I’m guessing for Thor today.
If Mets don’t offer QO or Syndergaard rejects QO, best guess is he gets FA offers similar to what Taijuan Walker received: 2 years and +/- $20m with incentives for in infant pitched.
I can see a contender giving him a big 1-year offer. Even go over the 20MM range. It’s a risk, but just for 1 year. Conversely, if Thor was going to take 1 year to prove himself, he’d likely just take the QO. I’d be shocked if he wasn’t on the Mets next year.
that would be stupid in a good SP market but yeah, someone probably does it.
In that case why would he reject? He’ll get 19 million guaranteed by accepting.
How many infants would he have to throw to reach the incentive threshold? 😉
Him having a QO attached to him would be pretty tough for him to overcome in free agency
I kind of want the Yanks to sign him this winter. Just so he gets a damn haircut. You know his mother is hoping for the same.
Haha. Nah. He’s like Samson. His hair is his strength. Except you know…he’s injured every other month. Maybe you’re onto some with this haircut.
I know it makes me an old curmudgeon or whatever. But I do like that clean cut, squared away look of the Yanks.
Can’t help it.
I don’t actually think the Yankees’ll be in on Syndergaard. He could potentially be a similar signing to last year’s deal for Kluber. Meaning: a short term/high upside acquisition. However there are a number of similar arms that will be available. & I wouldn’t be surprised if Cashman eschews anyone with a qualifying offer attached.
I’m a beardman myself. So I hate when all these epic beards get cutdown in the Bronx. Seems a shame. I’m with you on Cashman’s plans.
Yeah.
I remember, @Hayes. We faux argued over it all last winter. Like I said, I fully realize how Grumpy Old Dude it makes me sound. I’ve made peace with it.
Yanks pitching really won’t need much buttressing this winter. Cash will probably sign a reliever as he loves them. But this year that may be entirely superfluous.
Need to stabilize the rotation some. & we will need some innings consumed. That can probably be accomplished with one free agent. I think if the Yanks can add a durable, dependable #3 (or better!) our entire staff would be a finished product. That’s barring some type of more aggressive retool.
The Yankees issue has not been pitching. Their starters have been quite strong. Their bullpen was also very strong until fatigue set in because they played so many close games. Strengthen the offense and everything else will fall in place.
Sure hasn’t, @lordd99.
& it’s in good shape moving forward. Cash has develop a ‘pen similar to the Rays that can be deployed in waves.
The starters have:
Cole as their ace. Proven above average starters in Montgomery, Taillon, & German. Sevy is this year’s bounce back candidate. Cortes looks like a good swing guy. Decent AAA arms for depth. I would love to see someone like Verlander added over the winter.
But, yeah.
Need bats. Seems like we’ll upgrade at short. It’s (sadly) time to upgrade GGBG too. Not sure if that’s Florial. Marte would be sweet. Give us a more classic, speedy, lead-off hitter.
I agree Ducky. One solid pitcher turns that whole team around. The offense runs hot and cold, but that seems to be a general baseball problem.
I know “just spend more money!” is a pretty generic (& probably annoying) take from a Yankee fan.
The mandate was clearly to make the playoffs while not paying any CBT. Remains to be seen wether that will be realized. & a one & done in the play-in game would be a financial shortcoming too. Gotta make the LDS at least to start making that sweet playoff loot, man.
But.
Had we added another dependable starter over the winter (or at the deadline) we would probably be duking it out with TB for the AL East as opposed to being in this Battle Royale for a Wild Card. A few more million bucks, man. I get it. Easy to be cavalier with Hal’s checkbook. However, it strikes me as the old “penny wise pound foolish” thing.
Ya know?
Pretty sure he’s going bald so eventually he’ll either cut it or look like some larger version of the dude from Rocky Horror.
that dude from rocky horror is…riffraff lol
Jeez, spit my drink laughing!
The actor who played Riff Raff also wrote the screenplay for Rocky Horror Picture Show, Richard O’Brien.
@ducky. I myself have hair down the middle of my back. That was funny though so you got a upvote from me!
I spent a few years where a short, high & tight, buzzcut was compulsory. Never seemed to find something I cared for more.
However: even with this unexpected development, you’re still my guy, @McGriff.
I wouldn’t mind if he ends up on the North Side. But I’m not gonna hold my breath.
That would feel like Rich Harden 2.0
Great stuff. Can’t stay on field.
I think Thor will be able to stay on the field. He’s not really injury prone, just has had the big one and came back slow from the surgery. Probably will have a one year adjustment period but if you can lock him down after that you’ll likely get a great pitcher moving forward.
In now 7 big league seasons, he’s logged 30 starts only twice. I’d say that’s injury prone. He hasn’t pitched in two years, he has another season where he only made 7 starts. So he’s essentially missed half of his career on the field.
What pitchers log 30 starts multiple years in a row? Fans have this delusion that consistently making 30 starts is normal. It’s not, it’s the exception, not the rule. Thor has basically had two injuries. The latest has been corrected. By starting pitching standard nowadays, that’s decidedly not injury prone. Before this latest injury he pitched 24 or more games 4 of five seasons, 30 plus twice. By no stretch of the imagination does that qualify as “can’t stay on the field”.
In 2018, Thor strained a finger ligament. (He also got Coxsackie, but that’s a virus I’m not holding against him.) In 2019 Thor had a Hamstring injury. In 2020-2021 Thor was out with an elbow injury. I get what you’re saying, but Thor is injury prone in my book. These are significant injuries as well.
Cosmo no way does anyone know if the recent injury has been corrected. It is impossible to say how the arm holds up. In this area of medicine, it is more art than science. Hopefully he is ok. But he has a little over 700 innings in seven sessions and only pitched more than a 154 innings twice. That does scream durable.
While it is impossible to tell if his arm holds up, if you did have that guarantee, what would the contract be? Scherzer’s last two years at Detroit had an ERA+ of 133. Syndergaard’s first 4 years with the NYMs, it was 132. If you could guarantee Syndergaard was just as healthy as Scherzer, his price tag might easily be $200M.
Of course, no one can guarantee that, so his price tag comes down. So to me, it is trying to measure his health to see how much of a discount is reasonable. As a RS fan, I’m looking at Sale. While he might have been nice to have him diagnosed earlier, he still looks like a 5+ WAR pitcher, easily worth the $25.6M AAV.
If you’re satisfied with the MRIs, I think Syndergaard is easily worth $80M/4.
With a guy like Thor, my concern is that the human body has proven over and over again that you cannot throw 99-100mph for 200 innings a year and get away with it. Who is the last pitcher to do it several years in a row? Randy Johnson? And he was like 6’10, so had a lot of leverage working for him.
DeGrom is a prime example. He has been able to get the most out of his body, but now he’s a max effort pitcher and he can’t stay healthy. Pitchers that throw that hard end up 1 of 3 places:
1. Injured
2. Bullpen
3. Cast-offs
Dodger: yes there are no guarantees that it is fixed. Nothing is guaranteed. As for 154 IP: it’s the year 2021. Very few pitchers meet that threshold. You gotta adjust your expectations. Seriously, how many pitchers throw that many innings 4, 5 years in a row these days? I’d say very few.
@joebrady
The problem with your comparison to Scherzer, is that Scherzer was not coming off TJ. That’s not a minor difference.
It’s why I used him as an example. A healthy Syndergaard would’ve gotten Scherzer type money. Think of it as a fantasy draft. Of the top-10 SPs drafted, 6 of them ran into some sort of a problem. IMHO, I think it about as easy to run into a problem with a dependable pitcher as it is to run into a problem with a guy coming off of TJS.
Again, this time imvho, I think Syndergaard will have as many wins as any 2022 free agent over the next four years.
“As for 154 IP: it’s the year 2021. Very few pitchers meet that threshold.”
There are 44 pitchers that have thrown 154 or more innings in 2021, there were 70 in 2019. That’s, “very few”?
At least he doesn’t have to worry about playing deep into October and getting hurt again.
Can anyone say Matt Harvey.
Matt Harvey.
I hope they qo Syndergaard and let Stroman walk this winter. I like Stroman but hes gonna want a big pay day when we will already have Degrom, Peterson, Megill, and Walker for the rotation next year. Theres also Carrasco’s 17 mil contract on the books for next season but hes absolutly horrible. Id resign Syndergaard on a qo, if he doesnt except, lowball him with a 4 year 45 mil contract. If he rejects both then let him walk and just resign Rich Hill
Peterson, Megill, Walker. None of them is a number 2 starter. Carrasco isn’t either & Syndergaard is a complete unknown at this point. They pretty much have to sign Stroman. If not Stroman, then someone who’ll give you the numbers that Stroman did this season.
Yep. Gotta sign Stroman or someone comparable.
Can’t wait!
Interesting. He might be a good starting point for the Angels to revamp their pitching staff. It is a big risk at this point without seeing if he will bounce back to his normal form. But I wouldn’t be sad if we took a chance on him for a year. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he remains with the Mets.
He may be a good candidate for the Angels 6 man rotation. A little extra time off between starts couldn’t hurt coming off TJS and two years of rehab. Similar scenario to Ohtani missing 2019 and 2020 before bouncing back nicely on the mound this year.
Im predicting a 9 inning shutout with 1-2 hits on 85 pitches.
@mf-22. While I would like to see Thor do that I don’t think he’s built up that far. He’s probably a “opener” today.
@FredMcGriff for the HOF
I hope you were just joking in your response because you just got fed a hook, line and sinker.
They’d be stupid to not QO him. He is legit #2 or low-end #1, From 2015-2018, he was #4 in ERA, #2 in FIP, #3 in xFIP. Even including 2019, when he might’ve already been feeling the effects of his injuries, he is still #14 in ERA, #5 in FIP, and #8 in xFIP.
$60M/4, imo, would be a pure steal.
He’s probably better off taking the QO so he can stay in an environment he knows and likes. Citi is also a good park for pitchers. Show he’s fully back in 2022 and enter free agency unrestricted.
Not sure how to evaluate Syndergaard on the basis of his cameo appearances in the final 7 Games. He isn’t throwing curveballs or sliders, so he is only throwing low 90’s Fastballs and Changeups against a mostly prospect Marlins lineup. Can’t read too much into the results is what I am saying.
That’s part of the fun. I hope the RS make a run at him, so I hope he throws nothing but decent fastballs. Let him give up some runs, and maybe that’ll scare off some suitors.
And he was stupid enough to announce it, so every opposing hitter knows what’s coming.
I think if Rangers offered 2/42 with incentives up to 45-46 M it would be a no-lose situation for both. The rangers will be better next year but not contenders yet, so Syndergaard gets to pitch in a no-pressure situation, close to home in a beautiful stadium, and rebuild his value. If all goes well Texas can rework the contract and extend it out to 25 and 26, or trade him for a couple of high-end near MLB-ready prospects. high-end prospects. While at the same time Winn and Leiter get closer to majors.
Syndergaard’s not going to sign with a rebuilding team like the Rangers. Nor should a rebuilding team be looking to sign him. He’ll wind up with a team that feels it has a legitimate chance to make the post-season.
Not sure I agree? There’s a lot of factors, but I could easily see Thor going to pitcher friendly park on a rebuilding team to rebuild his value in a low pressure situation. He can then worry about a longer term deal with a winning team
Yea I don’t see what a winning team has to do with what will likely be a pillow contract.
He is coming back to the Mets
I hope he gets lit up, and I love the Mets. Part of the reason is that I’m tired of waiting for him to realize how good he can be if he worked on improving his flaws instead of throwing 100. He’s been a huge albatross for us believing he was our #2 since 2019.
He’s been a huge albatross for us
==================================
I am hoping that your albatross becomes a starting pitcher for the RS.
Something is fishy here. deGrom won’t be allowed to return because the games are meaningless; though the Mets claim he is physically ok. Thor will be allowed to pitch in meaningless games and risk re-injury.
Nothing fishy at all. DeGrom is signed and Thor is a FA. Be good for Thor to show he can pitch; I am sure if he did not want to he would not have to.
My thoughts and prayers
Cey Hey my grandfather and dad were Brooklyn fans going back to before WW1 (grandfather) and my Dad from the 1930s onward. I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan when I was young and I was born in Hollywood.
And something is fishy with Mets, either that or Thor must really like to gamble. He hasn’t pitched in a game situation in almost two years, has a documented history of injuries and is in a walk year. I don’t see how pitching a few innings in meaningless games would really be to his benefit. Too small a sample.
dodger1958, It’s a situation that can go way wrong for Syndergaard and the Mets, just like the fishiness with deGrom. The kind of stuff that can create a black cloud over the franchise for a long time. Meanwhile, Wheeler is away from that situation and having the best season of his life. The Mets seem to have some issues that we’re not seeing on the field. Yep, gonna be an interesting winter in Queens.
I’m not seeing anything fishy. There is no reason for DeGrom to pitch, and to pitch him would create a risk for the NYMs. Since Syndergaard is a FA in a few days, there is no risk for the NYMs. And if Syndergaard starts throwing 97, even if for just 3 innings, he’s going to get very popular, very quickly.
I sincerely doubt that a few innings – and that is what we are talking about – will a substantial difference. If he is wild or throwing in the low 90s do you think that that will make him less popular very quickly? Or if he is shut down due to elbow soreness or tightness will his value be next to zero? It is very uncommon that a pitcher after, missing this length of time, goes up against big league pitching without a couple of rehab starts.
dodger1958, I feel the same way. Something’s not right. And whatever it is, it’s bound to complicate what already will be a complicated off-season for the Mets., My guess is Syndergaard, Stroman and Conforto all leave; Baez perhaps stays. Not much hope if Cohen decides to hire whoever gives him a “win-now” spiel (which is what I believe he will do). Crucial decisions ahead as the Mets franchise look to map out a future direction. They could easily turn into the Orioles in a couple of years if the powers-that-be aren’t careful.
By the way, I was born in Los Angeles in March 1958. The Dodgers first spring training as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Thor looked good.
One inning.