Noah Syndergaard leaving Mets for Angels on $21 million deal

Thor will take on a new realm.

Noah Syndergaard and the Angels have reached agreement on a one-year, $21 million contract, the team announced Tuesday night, ending the dynamic right-hander’s nine-year association with the Mets.

Because the Mets offered Syndergaard the qualifying offer of one year and $18.4 million, they will receive a draft pick between the second and third rounds as compensation. Wednesday marks the deadline for players to accept or reject those offers, creating urgency on Syndergaard’s behalf; had he failed the Angels’ physical examination, he could have treated the Mets’ tender as a safety net.

Once the Angels seriously engaged Syndergaard, however, he grew excited by the idea of embarking upon a fresh start in California after spending his entire major league career at Citi Field, an industry source said. The Syndergaard camp didn’t give the Mets an opportunity to match the Angels’ package, according to the source, although the Mets probably wouldn’t have done so anyway. They felt enough hesitation about extending the qualifying offer in the first place and now gain payroll flexibility along with the draft pick.

Of course, what they lose with Syndergaard’s departure is no small thing. Billy Eppler, assuming he passes the Mets’ background check to become the team’s new general manager, will take over a pitching staff replete with question marks, starting with ace Jacob deGrom, and its most reliable performer of last season, Marcus Stroman, also a free agent.

Taijuan Walker faded after a strong first half in 2021, and youngsters Tylor Megill and David Peterson hardly looked ready to be front-end starters for a contender. Fortunately for the Mets, this offseason’s free-agent group features a plethora of starting pitchers, from the White Sox’s Carlos Rodon to the Giants’ Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafini to the Rockies’ Jon Gray. Among those left who would cost compensation, as players who received the qualifying offer, are the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray and the Astros’ Justin Verlander.

That Syndergaard was able to top the qualifying offer despite making just two token appearances (totaling two innings) in the 2021 season’s final week underlines 1) the ravenous appetite for pitching among contenders; and 2) the willingness of clubs to spend even as an owners’ lockout looms. Most industry folks regarded Syndergaard as the most likely of the 14 free agents who received qualifying offers to accept his. Instead, the Angels, aiming to compete next season and in dire need of starting pitching, took the big leap on Syndergaard.

Syndergaard’s move also further severs the Mets from their last period of success, as the 6-foot-6 blond, acquired from Toronto in the 2012 R.A. Dickey trade, quickly became a fan favorite upon his promotion to the big leagues in 2015 and won two games during the team’s thrilling postseason run. He followed that with his best overall season in 2016, finishing eighth on the National League Cy Young Award ballot.

He never reached such heights again, although he provided plenty of value in 2018 and 2019, and then he underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020, with his 2021 comeback delayed further by an inability to fully recover from the procedure. Now, his attempt to rebound and beyond will occur in a new setting as the Mets look to both match his upside and upgrade on his reliability.

— Ken Davidoff in Chicago and Joel Sherman in New York