The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Noah Syndergaard to a one-year, $13 million contract. His deal is said to include incentives for innings pitched.
Syndergaard’s signing brings the Dodgers’ 40-man roster full. The team had open spots until completing trades for J.P. Feyereisen and Yonny Hernández on consecutive days, which was then followed by finalizing the signing of Syndergaard.
The 30-year-old joins Clayton Kershaw in signing a contract with the Dodgers for the 2023 season. The right-hander figures to be part of the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation.
L.A. reportedly had interest in Justin Verlander, but their two-year contract offer included deferred salary and he wound up signing with the New York Mets as a replacement to Jacob deGrom.
Syndergaard went a combined 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA over 25 games (24 starts) this past season for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He was 5-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 15 starts for the Angels before being traded to the Phillies on August 2 in exchange for Jadiel Sanchez and Mickey Moniak.
Syndergaard was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 38th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, but went on to debut and establish himself as an elite starter with the Mets. Over six seasons with New York, he went 47-31 with a 3.32 ERA in 121 games (120 starts).
Included in that stretch was winning the World Series with the Mets in 2015 and earning a selection to the 2016 MLB All-Star Game. However, Syndergaard is looking to rebound with the Dodgers as he’s seen some decline since undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020.
He went on to miss the entire shortened season and started just two games for the Mets in 2021 before becoming a free agent that winter.
Can the Dodgers help Noah Syndergaard?
Dodgers pitching coaches have developed a reputation for helping players revive their careers, and now Syndergaard becomes their latest test.
Fastball velocity, spin rate, changeup usage and effectiveness are areas where Syndergaard could improve. Doing so would be paramount to keeping the fifth spot in the Dodgers rotation.
Otherwise, the team could turn to the likes of Andre Jackson, Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot or Bobby Miller at some point during the season.
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