Noah Syndergaard DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New York Post's Jon Heyman reported Monday that free-agent starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is planning to "revamp things, lose some weight and shoot for a comeback next season." The 31-year-old made 18 starts for the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023 but looked nothing like the Thor of old, going 2-6 with a 6.50 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and a 14.3% strikeout rate while averaging just 92.3 MPH with his sinker. Syndergaard was a fantasy standout early in his career but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020. He is still relatively young and provided high-end fantasy value early in his career, but Syndergaard will have a long way to go before finding his way back onto the fantasy radar, even as a sleeper option.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still looking to bolster their starting rotation for 2024 and are reportedly considering free agents Noah Syndergaard and Domingo German, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jason Mackey. Mackey reported that the team is doing more investigation into German's history to determine how comfortable they would be in signing him, given his numerous off-field incidents last season. As for Syndergaard, the Pirates expressed interest in him earlier this year. The 31-year-old pitched 88 2/3 innings in 18 starts for the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023, going 2-6 with a 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 14.3% strikeout rate. Thor used to be a viable fantasy asset, but he has a lot to prove before becoming fantasy-relevant again, and joining the Pirates would not help his value.

Free-agent starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is garnering interest from the San Diego Padres, according to beat writer Kevin Acee. The Padres don't have much clarity or depth in their starting rotation behind incumbents Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, who are both coming off injuries, so targeting someone like Syndergaard makes sense. San Diego has also been linked to free-agent Michael Lorenzen earlier this offseason. Syndergaard threw a bullpen session for interested teams back in January but hasn't received a ton of interest following that. Thor is coming off a disastrous 2023 campaign in which he registered a 6.50 ERA, 1.387 WHIP, and 56:19 K/BB over 88 2/3 innings between the Dodgers and the Guardians. San Diego could serve as a nice bounce-back spot for the veteran right-hander.

Free-agent right-handers Noah Syndergaard and Michael Lorenzen threw bullpen sessions for around 16 MLB teams in California on Tuesday, according to sources. Both players were impressive, with Syndergaard consistently sitting at 93-95 mph. Syndergaard, 31, had a rough 6.50 ERA in 88 2/3 innings with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians in 2023 and is a candidate to receive a one-year, prove-it deal. He's drawing interest from the Pittsburgh Pirates, among others. Lorenzen, 32, had a 3.58 ERA in 105 2/3 innings with the Detroit Tigers last year and threw a no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies after being traded to the National League, but he had a 5.51 ERA in 11 games (seven starts) for the Phils and was moved to the bullpen late in the season.