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Noah Syndergaard is finally back in the majors, as the Mets reinstated the right-hander on the 60-day injured list. Syndergaard will start Game 2 of the New York doubles program with the Marlins today and officially act as the 29th man for the Twin Bill. Seeker Chance Sisco was nominated to make room on the 40-man roster.
Almost exactly two years ago, Syndergaard last pitched in a big league game, pitching seven innings in a 7-6 Mets win over the Braves on September 29, 2019. The former All-Star has then underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and was initially scheduled to return around mid-season, but an inflamed elbow delayed Syndergaard’s return even further.
Now, the man they call “Thor” will only make an appearance or two in the Mets’ final games, though Syndergaard will surely feel comforted by getting some proper playing action under his belt before another long offseason. Syndergaard is not expected to work like a true starting pitcher, as he will serve as an opener today and could see work out of the pen for any further appearances.
Syndergaard’s extended absence was far from the only thing that went wrong for the 2021 Mets, and given that some pitchers don’t look alike on their first outings from TJ surgery, there’s no guarantee. that a healthy Syndergaard would have provided a mid-season boost even if he had hit his planned recovery time.
Between a 2017 season limited to 30 1/3 innings due to injury, and now the 2020-21 campaigns, Syndergaard has already endured three lost seasons in his brief MLB career. When he could pitch, Syndergaard looked like an arm at the top of the rotation, posting a 3.31 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate and 20.7 K-BB% over 716 innings of 2015. -19.
This is one of the more intriguing free agent cases of the winter, as Syndergaard will hit the open market at the end of the year. It can certainly be argued that the Mets should make a qualifying offer to Syndergaard, as a one-year contract in the order of $ 20 million is a worthwhile investment for a frontline pitcher and Thor might be inclined to accept a such contract as a pillow contract. to prepare for a longer-term deal during the 2022-2023 offseason. Maintaining Syndergaard would also provide some depth of rotation in the event that Marcus Stroman part in free agency.
On the flip side, the Mets might have some gameplay over the $ 20 million pledge for a pitcher that essentially missed two full years. With Robinson CanoeWith the deal back on the books, the Mets will have less pay space to re-sign free agents as notable as Stroman, Syndergaard, Javier Baez Where Michel Comfort, or to acquire suitable replacements for the list. Then again, owner Steve Cohen might not see the luxury tax threshold as a hurdle for the Mets’ 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 will at least have a showcase to prove he’s healthy, although a handful of innings won’t necessarily allay the concerns of interested teams looking to sign him this winter. His free agent market could be hampered by the specter of draft compensation if he rejects the QO, but Syndergaard’s cap is high enough that an enterprising team can always be ready to take the plunge for more. ‘one year guaranteed.
New York claimed Sisco on waiver from the Orioles in June, and the receiver has only appeared in five games with the Mets at the major league level. Sisco had respectable part-time numbers with the O’s over the past two seasons, but his defensive struggles and a big lack of production in early 2021 led the Orioles to part ways with the former top prospect. For the season as a whole, Sisco is just .149 / .241 / .189 out of 83 combined appearances at home with New York and Baltimore.
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