Pittsburgh Pirates Reportedly Showing Interest in Former All-Star Starter
On Tuesday, we learned that free agent pitcher Noah Syndergaard held a workout for interested clubs.
Now, we learn that the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the team's showing interest in the former All-Star.
Per Robert Murray of Fansided:
Syndergaard, 31, is coming off a season in which he posted a 6.50 ERA in 88.2 innings with the Dodgers and Guardians. He’s a candidate to receive a one-year, prove-it deal and is drawing interest from the Pittsburgh Pirates, among others, sources say.
Given his struggles last season, Murray's assessment seems fair. That also would seem to be right up the alley for the Pirates in terms of finances. While Pittsburgh doesn't figure to be a World Series contender in 2024, they are making it abundantly clear that they plan on being competitive. As they work to rebuild their starting rotation, they already have signed Martin Perez and traded for Marco Gonzales. They've also recently added Aroldis Chapman in the back end of the bullpen.
Syndergaard has seen his star (and production) fade in recent years. Once one of the best young pitchers in baseball, he debuted with the New York Mets in 2015 and made the All-Star team in 2016. He stayed in New York through the 2021 season and then has spent time with the Angels, Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Guardians since then.
Lifetime, he's 59-47 with a 3.71 ERA. He hasn't thrown at least 150 innings in a season since 2019 though because of injuries. He's now 31 years old and should theoretically have more in the tank, so it will be interesting to see how his market develops.
Spring training begins in less than three weeks.
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