Noah Syndergaard heads to Angels
By Mark Halpern
The New York Mets fans got some bad news this morning: All-Star pitcher Noah “Thor” Syndergaard has decided not to sign with the Mets and instead decided to sign with the Angels. It’s a one-year $21 million contract with no options. So yes, like many players in the NFL, this season will be a showcase for him to earn him a more significant deal, so a return to the Mets won’t be but of the conversation if he indeed has a great return.
Noah Syndergaard came to the Mets organization via a trade with the Blue Jays, which involved star pitcher R.A. Dickey. He was lighting on the mound from the moment he got with the organization till he made his first major league start. With his long blond hair, he resembled the Marvel superhero Thor. That is how he got his nickname, and it fit because when the ball left his hand, you could see the lighting trail flow from the ball. His career with the Mets has been a good one. He pitched his way to a 47-31 record in 121 games with a career ERA of 3.32, 777 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP. These numbers are for a number 1 or 2 starter in the rotation. His fastball can top out at 102mph. He has a good change-up, a great slider, and has been working on a curveball to add to his pitch selection. The Angles now have a great 1-2 with Shohei Ohtani and Him.
As most Mets fans know, two years ago, Noah suffered an injury that can kill a pitcher’s career, and he needed Tommy John Surgery to repair his UCL in his pitching elbow. He recovered during the 2020 season, and Mets fans were expecting a massive resurgence from Noah this year. However, in his minor league rehab warmups, he felt tightness in that recovered elbow and was shut down for most of the season. It wasn’t till September that Thor made his return, and by that time, the Mets were really out of contention. Thor didn’t pitch bad through the last three weeks and proved he could throw.
When the season ended, Noah had expressed his want to stay with the Mets, and the Mets {Like Most Teams would have} only offered the Qualifying Offer of $18.4 million. For a one-year offer, that’s a lot, especially for someone who has not pitched in two years. Once he was offered the deal from the Mets, it looked like he would accept it. Until this morning when all of the Metropolitans fans saw that he chose to go to the Angles. I was deeply saddened to see that Noah is leaving, and I wish him nothing but the best with his endeavor with the Angels, and I hope he can return to his form and maybe make a come back with the Mets, and That Is How The Old Man See It.
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