Noah Syndergaard was once one of the most exciting right arms in baseball.
But it’s been a long time since the New York Mets put Thor on the mound and had every eye locked in to see what he’d do next.
Syndergaard didn’t even pitch for a professional baseball team in 2024.
But on Tuesday, Syndergaard agreed to a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox, according to White Sox beat writer James Fegan.
Syndergaard will turn 33 in August but hasn’t been his dominant self in a long time, a stretch that included a Tommy John surgery.
The big righty last pitched in the majors in 2023 in a split season between the Dodgers and Guardians, compiling in total a 6.50 ERA.
He spent 2022 between the Angels and Phillies, with a 3.94 ERA but only 95 strikeouts in 134.2 innings.
Syndergaard’s five Mets season before his arm injury troubles were marvelous. From 2015 to 2019, he had a 3.31 ERA and 775 strikeouts in 716 innings pitched.
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He didn’t pitch at all in 2020, then appeared in just two games (9.00 ERA) in 2021 before his journeyman phase began.
Syndergaard joining the White Sox is essentially a simple audition. They’ll have innings to give him if he can get up to speed, and he wants another chance to impress MLB.
If Syndergaard looks even a bit like his old self in major league action later this season, it could set up one final intriguing contract this winter.
There’s also the chance that Syndergaard and the White Sox appreciate their relationship enough that he decides to stay in Chicago going forward. There’s certainly no risk here for the White Sox given their current cellar-dwelling place in the standings.
It’ll be fun to see Thor back on the mound, regardless of how it goes.
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