The New York Mets are putting together a very competitive team for the 2021 season, which will be the first under new owner Steve Cohen. He and team president Sandy Alderson are working not only to bring new talent to the roster, but also to keep the existing players happy and engaged.
In their latest move with next season in mind, the New York Mets avoided the arbitration process with star pitcher Noah Syndergaard, as both parties agreed to a one-year, $9.7 million contract, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
The $9.7 million salary is what he made through arbitration last winter, according to Rotoworld. The Mets’ starter, however, is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, a procedure that he underwent back in March.
By normal Tommy John estimates, Thor would be able to return around July or August. However, recent reports suggested that he was actually ahead of schedule, which Alderson confirmed. Now, there is hope that he could be back in the Mets’ rotation by June.
The Mets’ potentially dominant rotation
The 2021 campaign will be Syndergaard’s last in a Mets’ uniform unless the two sides can hammer out a contract extension or decide to keep their working relationship in next year’s free agency.
In 118 career starts and 716.0 innings, the 28-year-old has a 3.31 ERA and a 2.92 FIP, with 18.8 fWAR, a 26.4 K% and a 5.6 BB%. When healthy, he has been one of the National League’s best starters since 2015. However, he had to miss the whole 2020 campaign to have his elbow reconstructed.
Once the Mets get Syndergaard back, their rotation could be one of the NL’s best. They have ace Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, David Peterson, Syndergaard, and Steven Matz. However, Cohen, Alderson, and new general manager Jared Porter are fully expected to add another starter at some point, via free agency or trade market.