Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Amir Garrett (50) looks to throw a punch as he is held back by a number of Pittsburgh Pirates players during a brawl in the ninth inning of a baseball game in Cincinnati on Tuesday, July 30, 2019. The Pirates won 11-4. (Sam Greene/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP)
MLB rumors: Pirates show interest in Noah Syndergaard in crowded free agency pursuit
Could Noah Syndergaard be a worthwhile reclamation project for the Pirates in free agency?
There is less than a month away before Spring Training begins but teams aren’t even close to being done yet when it comes to adding talent via free agency. Plenty of talented players remain in free agency, with veteran starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard among those who are drawing considerable interest from plenty of teams, one of them being the Pittsburgh Pirates, this deep into the offseason.
As per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Syndergaard held a throwing session with as many 15 MLB team representatives in attendance to watch him perform. Among those teams that monitored the 31-year old was the Pirates, who are reportedly interested in adding the man affectionately known as Thor, according to Robert Murray, an MLB insider for FanSided.
Noah Syndergaard, according to Heyman’s report, was pitching in the mid-90s during his throwing session, which should only further make him an enticing option for teams that are still looking to bolster their pitching rotation. The Pirates could definitely use a lot of work in their rotation, and Syndergaard represents a low-cost upside swing who could still have some gas left in the tank if he can regain his velocity.
Alas, the 2023 season was a nightmare for Syndergaard; the Los Angeles Dodgers were unable to get the best out of him, with Thor putting up a 7.16 ERA in 55.1 innings of work with the team before he was shipped to the Cleveland Guardians. Syndergaard didn’t fare much better in Cleveland, as he put up a slightly better and yet still terrible 5.40 ERA in six starts (33.1 innings pitched).
The red flag with Noah Syndergaard has been his declining velocity. Long known for his elite fastball that routinely touched the high-90s, his velocity has been on a downward trend since 2021. With the Guardians, Syndergaard’s average fastball velocity was clocked at 91.9 mph, which was a career-low.
