LOS ANGELES — A year ago, the Dodgers signed Tyler Anderson to a low-cost, one-year contract and helped him become the All-Star he had never been before.
This year, they’ve agreed with Noah Syndergaard on a low-cost, one-year contract, hoping he can again become the All-Star he once was.
Syndergaard agreed to a one-year contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday. The deal will reportedly pay Syndergaard $13 million with an additional $1.5 million in incentives possible. That pushes the Dodgers’ projected payroll for 2023 just over $200 million – still well short of the Competitive Balance Tax threshold ($233 million).
Syndergaard joins a starting rotation led by Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May (now almost 20 months removed from Tommy John surgery). That takes some pressure off the group of young starters (Ryan Pepiot, Michael Grove, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone) who can now supplement the front five rather than be forced into the rotation to start the year.
Syndergaard was an All-Star in 2016 as the young ace of the New York Mets’ staff. In his first two seasons with the Mets, Syndergaard was 23-16 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
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But injuries began to take their toll in 2017. He made just seven starts that year due to a lat muscle tear in the back of his shoulder and spent time on the injured list in both 2018 and 2019 before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for all of the abbreviated 2020 season and all but two innings in 2021.
Syndergaard signed a one-year contract with the Angels a year ago and proved he was healthy in 2022, making 24 starts for the Angels and (after a midseason trade) Phillies. He went a combined 10-10 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, staying healthy enough to throw 134-2/3 innings plus 8-1/3 more during the Phillies’ postseason run.
But Syndergaard has not been the same pitcher since returning from his injuries. The intimidating power pitcher known as “Thor” during his early days with the Mets averaged 97-98 mph on his fastball and struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings. Since returning from Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard’s fastball has averaged just 93-94 mph and his strikeout rate has dropped dramatically (to 6.3 per nine innings last year).