The Los Angeles Dodgers are adding another All-Star pitcher to their loaded rotation. According to multiple reports, the Dodgers agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Noah Syndergaard.
Syndergaard is expected to earn $13 million playing for the LA team in 2023. He spent the last year on a one-year, prove-it deal with the Los Angeles Angels that saw him earn $21 million.
Syndergaard joins the Dodgers after splitting the 2022 campaign with the Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies. He played 25 games combined last season, posting a 10-10 record with a 3.94 ERA and 95 strikeouts.
The Dodgers became an attractive destination for free-agent veteran pitchers who are looking to boost their value in recent years. For example, lefty Tyler Anderson signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the franchise ahead of 2022 and ended up making his first All-Star nod during the season. He recently joined the Angels on a three-year, $39 million agreement.
Noah Syndergaard will likely look to do the same, especially after struggling with injuries in recent years. When he made his MLB debut in 2015, Syndergaard was considered one of the best young pitchers in the league. He started a World Series game in his rookie year and then made an All-Star the year later.
However, Syndergaard’s career never really took off the way everyone predicted. A series of arm injuries, which included Tommy John surgery in 2020, prevented him from establishing himself as a star pitcher in the league. It remains to be seen whether the spell with the Dodgers can get him anywhere near that.
