ATLANTA, GEORGIA - AUGUST 21: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts during the fifth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on August 21, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Would Houston Astros Take Low-Risk Flier on Former New York Mets Superstar?
The Houston Astros may not need this former New York Mets starter, but there’s no harm in testing the waters when it comes to the former All-Star.
In spring training, there is nothing wrong with a team like the Houston Astros taking a flier on a veteran who could pay off in that fabled low-risk, high-reward category.
A spring training invitation costs a team nothing. Same with a low-cost veteran deal that only kicks in if they make the roster.
It all comes down to how much the team believes that veteran has left in the tank.
For the Astros, that would be the math for signing a player like former All-Star pitcher Noah Syndergaard.
Look at the Astros’ starting pitching depth chart and one will find 10 pitchers. But, four of them will not be ready for opening day due to injury recovery — J.P. France, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr.
Houston expects all four to begin the season on the 60-day injured list.
So, in reality, the Astros have six starters right now.
As for Syndergaard, the 32-year-old Texas native didn’t play last year, but he’s back in the lab, so to speak. The New York Post’s Dan Bartels posted this video of Syndergaard throwing during a workout that Syndergaard posted to Instagram.
One look at Syndergaard’s Instagram feed and it’s easy to see he’s working out like a pitcher who wants an invitation to spring training.
For Houston, it’s a question of which pitcher would they get?
If it’s the one from 2022-23, then the Astros should take a pass. He pitched for four teams, went 12-16 with a 4.96 ERA, along with 151 strikeouts and 50 walks in 223.1 innings.
He didn’t have it. But Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, and he hasn’t been the same since.
Before that, he was one of baseball’s most exciting pitchers. He broke in with the New York Mets in 2015, and in a five-year stretch, he helped the Mets reach a World Series, finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and made the 2016 All-Star team.
From 2015-19 he went 47-30 with a 3.31 ERA with 775 strikeouts and 166 walks.
It seems unlikely Syndergaard would flip back into that pitcher. But the Astros have an ace in Framber Valdez and quality pieces in Ronel Blanco and Hunter Brown. Plus, there is the quartet of reinforcements.
Bringing in Syndergaard would allow the Astros to determine if he has something.
He doesn’t have to be a back-of-the-rotation starter, either. If his stuff is there, he could serve as a set-up man for closer Josh Hader.
It’s up to the Astros. But if he’s building his velocity up again, he’s worth a look.
