Angels Address Starting Pitching, Agree To Terms With Noah Syndergaard

The Angels and RHP Noah Syndergaard have agreed to a one-year, $21 million contract, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The deal is pending a physical, but Los Angeles has made a splash in free agency. Syndergaard, 29, has spent the past seven seasons with the Mets, pitching to a 47-31 record with a 3.32 ERA and 777 Ks. Syndergaard was an All Star in 2016 and has been dominant on the mound.

Since the Mets issued a one-year, $18 million qualifying offer to Syndergaard, the Angels will lose their 2022 second-round draft pick.

He has pitched only two innings since 2019, recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Angels finished 2021 with a 77-85 record, fourth place in the AL West. While outfielder Mike Trout played only 36 games, it was the pitching that was the Angels' Achilles heel...again.

Los Angeles finished 22nd in the MLB and 12th in the AL in team ERA. Angels pitchers walked an AL high 592 batters, eclipsing both their 2018 and 2019 totals. The Angels have tried to address their starting pitching, but with every passing offseason, they have missed out on the top arms.

In 2019, it was Gerrit Cole. Cole, a Newport Beach, California native, seemed to be a perfect fit for Los Angeles. Instead, he opted to wear pinstripes, signing with the Yankees on a nine-year, $324 million deal. The Angels would settle for Julio Teheran on a one-year, $9 million deal. Teheran went 0-4 with a 10.05 ERA and was not brought back for 2021.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian is banking on Syndergaard returning to his old form after injury. In his first appearance back on Sept. 28 against the Marlins, "Thor" was sharp. His fastball sat comfortably at 96 MPH, while his changeup was touching 90 MPH.

Syndergaard joins an Angels rotation that's led by Shohei Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval. Minasian will likely reach out to free agents Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw in hopes of turning the Angels' weakness into a strength.