Noah Syndergaard signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason.
At the time, many Angels fans expressed excitement over the move, as the addition seemed like a step in the right direction for a squad that was hoping to contend.
Unfortunately, L.A.’s season hasn’t gone as planned, which makes it an interesting time to reassess the Syndergaard deal.
Has the signing been a success for the Angels?
Syndergaard’s Season At A Glance
Let’s start by looking at the season Syndergaard has had so far.
Going into the 2022 season, Syndergaard had pitched just two innings since the end of the 2019 season, as the righty underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.
For that reason, he entered the 2022 campaign with a lot to prove.
So far, the results have been okay.
He has made 14 starts, and in those games, he has pitched to a 4.00 ERA, 4.05 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP.
The 29-year-old has had some rough outings, but he has had some impressive ones as well.
Overall, it has been an acceptable year so far for Syndergaard, but he definitely hasn’t blown expectations out of the water.
So, Has The Signing Been A Success For The Angels?
As mentioned, the 2022 season hasn’t gone well for Los Angeles.
The team was 27-17 at one point and looked like a legitimate contender in the American League, but what followed was a 14-game losing streak, and the team hasn’t been able to recover since then.
Today, the Angels are 39-53, and it seems like they have no shot at making the playoffs.
The Angels have Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Noah Syndergaard, Jared Walsh, and Raisel Iglesias. The Orioles have a better record than them while playing in a tougher division.
— Sam F (@discussbaseball) July 8, 2022
The Mariners have had more wins in their past 13 games than the Angels have had in their past 47 games.
— Cameron Van Til (@CameronVanTil) July 17, 2022
That makes the Syndergaard signing feel like somewhat of a waste, as the team paid a pretty high price to have him around this season in hopes of making a playoff run with him.
However, it’s not too late for the Angels to turn the signing into a good thing.
With the trade deadline approaching, L.A. could look to trade Syndergaard to a contending team, which could produce a solid return for the Angels.
“Rival teams suspect Noah Syndergaard to be made available in trade,” MLB insider Jon Heyman reported recently.
Since Syndergaard is only under contract through this season, he makes sense as a trade candidate, and there are certainly a lot of contending teams that he’d be able to help.
For MLB fans, seeing Syndergaard pitch in the postseason for the first time since 2016 would definitely be a cool sight.
L.A. would obviously rather see that happen with him wearing an Angels uniform, but it seems like that’s out of the picture this season.
Final Thoughts
Nothing about this season has been a success for the Angels, but the Syndergaard deal still has the potential to pay off if the team trades him for a nice return.
However, there is one thing to keep in mind regarding a potential Syndergaard trade: If L.A. is hoping to potentially re-sign the one-time All-Star this offseason, a trade probably wouldn’t help the team’s chances of bringing him back.
That’s definitely something the Angles have to consider as the deadline gets closer.
