{"id":158211,"date":"2022-12-15T04:13:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T04:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/sources-dodgers-fill-rotation-hole-as-noah-syndergaard-makes-a-bet-on-himself\/"},"modified":"2022-12-15T04:13:11","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T04:13:11","slug":"sources-dodgers-fill-rotation-hole-as-noah-syndergaard-makes-a-bet-on-himself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/sources-dodgers-fill-rotation-hole-as-noah-syndergaard-makes-a-bet-on-himself\/","title":{"rendered":"Sources: Dodgers fill rotation hole as Noah Syndergaard makes a bet on himself"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Dodgers have found their seemingly annual career rejuvenation project, agreeing to terms with former All-Star right-hander Noah Syndergaard on a one-year, $13 million deal, league sources told The Athletic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Syndergaard, 30, had offers for more years and guaranteed money elsewhere, a source said, but instead opted for the opportunity to work in the Dodgers’ pitching development factory and perhaps reset his market.<\/p>\n

He will have an opportunity to earn an additional $1.5 million in incentives, a source said. Then Syndergaard can reenter the market after a chance to enjoy success similar to Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney, who each turned one-year deals from the Dodgers (Anderson for $8 million, Heaney for $8.5 million) into multiyear windfalls. Those two earned a combined $64 million guaranteed this winter in deals with the Angels and Rangers.<\/p>\n

Syndergaard, a year removed from earning $21 million in a one-year pact with the Angels, will fill a role similar to what Anderson and Heaney provided. The Dodgers are hopeful he can absorb innings, especially early in the season as they integrate pitching prospects Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone into the rotation.<\/p>\n

As it stands, the Dodgers have much of their Opening Day rotation set, with room to add another swingman type if needed beyond Julio Ur\u00edas, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Syndergaard.<\/p>\n

With some tweaks, the Dodgers’ hope is that they can find even more with Syndergaard.<\/p>\n

The right-hander appeared once primed to help the Mets usher in one of the most heralded rotations of an era. Syndergaard was part of a young New York pitching crop along with Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Steven Matz. Each of those pitchers reached exciting individual heights but never fulfilled the Mets’ championship dreams.<\/p>\n

Syndergaard, who embraced the \u201cThor\u201d moniker that accompanied the triple-digit power sinkers that defined his repertoire, has been a much different pitcher since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020. His promise was enough for the Angels to forgo a draft pick and sign him for more than the Mets’ qualifying offer on a one-year deal, but Syndergaard’s velocity failed to bounce back to its pre-surgery levels. His average four-seam fastball dipped from 97.8 mph in 2019 to 94.1 mph in 2022, and his strikeout rate plummeted as well. Beyond velocity, the characteristics of the pitch fell from elite to merely average.<\/p>\n

That, perhaps as much as anything, is what left Syndergaard in a position to take less this winter than he did a year ago.<\/p>\n

He still pitched reasonably well for the Angels despite the lacking velocity. The Phillies acquired him at the trade deadline to solidify their postseason push. In 134 2\/3 innings with the two clubs, he pitched around a league-average level with a 3.94 ERA and 103 ERA+. He evolved with his new stuff, relying on location to limit hard contact. He still has some underlying characteristics, such as above-average extension, that make him interesting. There is hope, as well, that the Dodgers can help Syndergaard tap back into some of the velocity that made him so dynamic; other pitchers within the Dodgers’ development pipeline, from Heaney to relievers Alex Vesia and Yency Almonte, noted a jump in velocity as the Dodgers reworked their mechanics.<\/p>\n

In choosing to sign in Los Angeles, eschewing more guarantees financially as well as assurances of a more robust role, Syndergaard is betting on himself. He sees the Dodgers as the landing spot best equipped to fulfill his promise.<\/p>\n

(Photo: Bill Streicher \/ USA Today)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n