Noah Syndergaard was once a top arm in major league baseball. However, that hasn't been the case over the last three years as he bounced around the league looking for somewhere he could refind himself in MLB.
The Cleveland Guardians needed starting pitching in 2023 due to injuries and hoped they could find a little more magic in the 31-year-old's arm. However, he posted an ERA of 5.40 in six starts and Cleveland designated Syndergaard for assignment on August 28.
Still, the free agent is drawing interest from teams and Syndergaard could still be on a big league roster for the 2024 season. The San Diego Padres are the most recent team to be known to have expressed interest in bringing in the veteran starter, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
San Diego was linked to Syndergaard in late January along with the Pittsburg Pirates. Now Thor is once again being connected to the NL West team as a possible free-agent target.
It makes sense for the Padres to be looking for more starting pitching. The 2023 NL Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, may not be back with the team next season and they'll need to find someone to fill his 180.0 innings pitched.
Taking a gamble on a former Cy Young candidate could be a wise move for the Padres. The pitching market has been chaotic this offseason. Some examples include Shohei Ohtani who signed for $700 million, Yoshinobu Yamamoto who signed for $325 million, and Josh Hader who got $95 million. That's not even to mention players such as Sonny Gray and Eduardo Rodriguez who received respectable contracts.
It's clear, teams need pitching and are willing to pay a premium for it. But the alternative of trying to re-establish a pitcher such as Syndergaard could also have value in it.
More must-reads: