NEW YORK – The Mets’ plans to use Noah Syndergaard as a reliever when the flamethrower returns from surgery Tommy john They were clarified Thursday, when the mounter revealed that he will not throw breaking pitches for the remainder of the season.
The idea came from the Mets director of medicine, Dr. David Altchek, and the Dodgers orthopedic, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who believe that Syndergaard’s setback in May may have been the result of dropping his high slider. speed.
“This last month of the season, I worked with a [recta] four-seam, two-seam and the shift, “Syndergaard said,” and I think I can be effective with that. “
It was thanks in part to his 90-odd-mile-per-hour slider that Syndergaard was one of the majors’ most feared pitchers during the second half of the last decade, going 47-30 with a 3.31 ERA in the majors. 119 exits.
But for the remainder of the season, Syndergaard has essentially become a two-pitch pitcher. That was the case Thursday, when the right-hander made a rehab outing for Class A-Alta Brooklyn. Throwing exclusively fastballs and swings, Syndergaard allowed Orioles prospect Lamar Sparks a home run on his first pitch, a 95 mph fastball.
How Syndergaard fares down the stretch of the season could greatly affect his future, as the pitcher is eligible to become a free agent this winter after nine seasons in the New York organization. The Mets could make you a qualifying offer valued at roughly $ 20 million. If such an offer is received, Syndergaard would have few options beyond accepting it in order to restore its value in 2022. If the team did not make a qualifying offer, Syndergaard’s market would be difficult to forecast.
Syndergaard, who underwent surgery in March 2020, acknowledged that it is something he has on his mind, although he is mostly focused on his “rehabilitation and getting back on the mound.”
“I can’t imagine leaving New York or leaving the Mets,” Syndergaard said. “I love the culture that New York offers, the guts and tenacity of its citizens and fans. Especially since 2015, that special experience will always be engraved on me. It was the best time of my life and the truth is that I want to go back to that ”.
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