Former Philadelphia Phillies Star Pitcher Attempting Comeback Next Season
The Philadelphia Phillies are going to be buyers ahead of the upcoming trade deadline on July 30.
They entered the All-Star break with the best record in Major League Baseball having completely overpowered their opponents throughout the entirety of the year.
It was the goal of every member on this team to get off to a good start in 2024, something that had eluded them in prior seasons. Based on how they have played so far, they certainly accomplished that, but they have their sights set on a much greater target.
Winning the World Series is tough for any team in this sport, something the Phillies know all too well after coming two games short of lifting the trophy in 2022 and being upset by the upstart Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS last season.
Still, their loaded roster has allowed them to keep their championship window open, and it will be on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski to find the right additions to make that happen at the deadline.
He tried to accomplish this in 2022 when Philadelphia traded for Noah Syndergaard.
Shipping away former top prospect Mickey Moniak and another minor leaguer to get it done, the one-time All-Star was brought in to give their rotation a boost for the back stretch of the year and potentially play a role in the postseason.
Syndergaard performed fairly well, posting a 4.12 ERA across his 10 outings and nine starts before being moved into the bullpen for the playoffs.
He proved to be a solid addition during that portion of the calendar, giving up only three earned runs across his four appearances and two starts in 8.1 innings of work, but the right-hander wasn't the difference maker the Phillies' pitching staff might have needed.
Still, that stint earned him another opportunity in 2023 when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $13 million.
Unfortunately, Syndergaard struggled with a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts, causing them to ship him to the Cleveland Guardians where he appeared in six games before being designated for assignment and ultimately released.
The once elite starting pitcher with the New York Mets didn't find a home this season as he remained a free agent, but that's not stopping him from attempting to pitch in The Show again.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Syndergaard is going to revamp some things and try to catch on with a team next year.
That should allow him to work on the issues that have plagued him since his injury-limited seasons with the Mets from 2017-19, and his eventual Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2020.
His days as being an elite starting pitcher are long behind him, but there's a chance the 31-year-old can focus strictly on becoming a reliever and find ways to be effective in that role.