Dodgers News: Kershaw Excited to See What Noah Syndergaard Can Unlock with LA

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw told MLB Network he's excited to team up with former Mets All-Star Noah Syndergaard.

In 2015, Noah Syndergaard finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting after going 9-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 150 innings. On the other side of the country, Clayton Kershaw finished third in the NL Cy Young voting, just the second time in five years he didn't win the award. They were vastly different types of pitchers, but the future was bright for both of them.

Eight years later, Syndergaard and Kershaw will be teammates on the 2023 Dodgers after L.A. signed Thor to a one-year deal. Kershaw was on MLB Network on Monday last week, and he sounds cautiously excited about teaming up with Syndergaard.

"I think coming off Tommy John last year proved that he was healthy. You know the Dodgers always see stuff, they always see stuff, so I’m sure he’s got some type of analytical number or some type of something that they feel like he can get his velo back up to where it was and he can do this or that and on a one-year deal, it’s a real bargain and all this stuff. So we’re excited to have him and we need him, quite frankly. So, I hope he comes back, comes in and [is] ready to go. His stuff is great, so we’ll see what happens."

Kershaw and Syndergaard were teammates on the 2016 NL All-Star team, the only time they've teamed up, although Kershaw missed the game with a back injury and Syndergaard didn't appear in the game.

Hopefully, the 2023 partnership between the two stars will go better than that. As Kershaw said, the Dodgers need Syndergaard.