There’s a saying out there that time heals all wounds. But when it comes to Noah Syndergaard leaving the Mets last offseason, more time is needed. Well, that and for the right-hander to actually face his former club.
He appeared gracious to have received a qualifying offer from New York at the end of the 2021 season after tossing just two innings. However, he then decided it was best to not return to Queens, instead signing a one-year, $20 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
That was weird enough for Mets fans, but it got worse at the trade deadline. L.A. was already out of contention and sent him to the Philadelphia Phillies for the stretch run. He had a decent performance in his first full season since 2019. It included a 3.94 ERA and 2.2 fWAR in 134.2 innings. This included a 16.8% strikeout rate and a 5.5% walk rate. Thor posted a 4.12 ERA in 54.2 innings with the Phillies, along with tossing another 8.1 frames in the postseason.
The right-hander will continue to bet on himself with another one-year deal for 2023. This one is with the Los Angeles Dodgers to the tune of $13 million. SNY reported the news on Wednesday night. Anchor Eamon McAnaney made sure to get a zinger in before signing off for the evening:
This is GOLD. ?? @emacSNY | #LGM pic.twitter.com/pSTqiaomwg
— GENY Mets Report (@genymets) December 15, 2022
This is cold-blooded, but is it a deserved zinger? Syndergaard was lined up to face the Mets twice in 2022, once with the Angels and once with the Phillies. However, his start was pushed back on both occasions for “extra rest”.
For the second time this season, Noah Syndergaard is pushing back a start that would have come against the Mets.
It first happened in Anaheim earlier this year. Now with the Phillies, Syndergaard will slide from Sunday to Monday to receive an extra day of rest, per @ScottLauber.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) August 17, 2022
Is this just an unfortunate coincidence? You’d have to assume that. As mentioned before, Noah Syndergaard pitched just two innings in 2021 after returning from Tommy John surgery. His workload did have to be managed. But coincidence or not, nothing is ever lost on Mets fans. Or SNY anchors, apparently.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
