ESPN is reporting that Noah Syndergaard and the Angels have agreed on a 1/$21 deal. Syndergaard showed how grateful he really was to get the QO by becoming one of the first big free agents to switch teams. If you didn’t think Syndergaard was worth the money for a QO – how do you wrap your head around a team paying $2.6 million more and sacrificing their second draft pick?
Did anyone think that Syndergaard would be on another team in 2022? And how does having two additional high picks – the second coming if/when Michael Conforto signs elsewhere – change the Mets’ thoughts on signing a free agent this year with the QO attached?
Still tough to give up the #14 pick, if we sign a FA with a QO.
This could be a great draft for us now!
Time to break out the checkbook for Anthony DeSclafani, Alex Wood, Carlos Rodón, Max Scherzer and/or Kevin Gausman—all of whom let us keep our draft picks if we sign them.
And, of course, sign Marcus Stroman!
I agree with Steve regarding the #14 pick…if the Mets had a SS opening I’d part with it for a top tier FA SS, but the rest of the group requiring QO seems like they can shop elsewhere and keep the pick.
I was ok with the Syndergaard QO and potential overpay as part of a strategy to accumulate SP options, and I’m a tad disappointed that he won’t be retained. However, given his last two years, even if he stayed, I wouldn’t have slotted him above the #5 with a 150 inning max. They got the pick and the $21 million or whatever is better spent elsewhere, so good move going QO.
Regarding Syndergaard’s prior comments and loyalty, $2.6 million is nothing to shake a stick at, and almost certainly more than I’ve earned in my entire lifetime, but considering he is leaving the organization he grew up in, and an organization that paid him about $20 million over the last two seasons for no MLB contributions, that speaks for itself. He’ll be the Angel’s lottery ticket now…I won’t be shedding any tears if it doesn’t go well.
Feels like somebody fumbled the ball here.
Best News Ever.
Let the Angels pay 21M$ and forfeit a draft to see of hes bionic or not. all the money in the world to buy him next year if need be
I had to summon the strength and interest to utter a mediocre “meh”. So, $18M wasn’t enough for Thor even though he’s been a zero for 2 seasons. Bless the Halos and the extra $3M they coughed but, as has been said, this has the potential to go very bad for both the Halos and Thor
I like the idea of four high draft picks, assuming this is a year with a lot of quality kids. With a one-year deal, Thor will be a free agent without a CO attached next year. So we might see him again. I wonder if he really wanted to be on the West Coast.
Well, that’s one question mark that the Mets don’t have to face in 2022. If they are going to compete in 2022 then they should eliminate the “ifs” as much as possible . Now they have eliminated one big “if” and got a draft choice to boot. Now get a #2 pitcher like Stroman, Gausman or Rodon and sign a #5 pitcher as well. And don’t forget to sign Hill (and his $2.5m contact last year) as a swing man for depth.
Again I question the Mets decision making. Last year they could have offered Syndergaard a 2/20 contract before they tendered him in his last year of arbitration. If he refused, the offer then they should have non-tendered him and saved $9.7m. They had the leverage then. Remember, baseball is a business, as Syndergaard excerise his right to get the best contract for himself.
Metsense, I was very supportive of the QO of $18.4 million, despite the overpay and risk relative to health/performance, since money is in large supply and starting pitching is in short supply. But, as Chris F implies, thanks Noah…he did the Mets a big favor.
I do not agree with the characterization that they blew it last year. The 2021 QOs were decided last November. At that time, the most reasonable expectation is that Syndergaard would resume pitching June/July. That was 15-18 months after his TJS, and he had no setbacks prior. I doubt highly that he would have signed a 2/$20 million at that time. 2021 was full of setbacks and resulted in him missing virtually the entire season, and provided no insight into what to expect of him in 2022. With Cohen’s bankroll, at this point, I expect the Mets to do better.
would be nice if this led to a forced rebuild.
I am happy as can be that Syndegaard is gone and the 18.4 million QO the Mets have saved, can be used for pitching help. Metsense is correct; get Stroman back and resign Hill! Gausman, Rodon sure….but not Scherzer! deGrom is not a sure thing now, and Carrasco is now an aging, injured bust. I have more faith in Walker then Carrasco, that’s for sure!
I love the extra draft pick from this also, and the one we’ll get for Conforto if he bolts also.
The downside of this signing of Thor by the Angels makes it evident that the market and price for SP will be high.
I fully expect this to be the only draft pick the Mets pick up. Conforto has had ten days to reject the QO, but hasn’t. Could be he is seeing reality…
He rejected it a long time ago.
https://www.si.com/mlb/mets/news/report-michael-conforto-declines-mets-qualifying-offer-to-become-free-agent
I don’t know if it is official… MLBTR doesn’t count him as a rejector and even Keith Law wrote yesterday – while he was trashing the Angels for this move – that he still expects (as I do) Conforto to come to his senses.
18 million for a guy coming back from two seasons with two innings was a huge risk. Gray Greinke,Rodon,Stroman,Cueto, Hill are out there.
They could get Jon Gray and Alex Wood together for roughly $21M in 2022.
But yes, the price of pitching is being established this week. Looks high.
18 million? 125innings, 5 inning starts? Baez,Marte,Escobar
We can do better than Syndergaard for 18 mil. A blessing on disguise. I wish him well. He gave us nothing in the past two years.
Happy for the draft pick but we got screwed by Thor. Paid him $14 million over the last two years for two innings of work and the QO was about double his 2021 salary. History of TJ shows a lot of pitchers coming back strong and expect Thor to be one of them. It seems that only players expect loyalty but it rarely works the other way. The salaries continue to be out of hand when you have to offer $18.4 million to a player who simply could not play during the season. He should have taken the QO and proven himself for the Mets not the Angels. I would nit welcome him back in subsequent years and does he think the Angels are anywhere near contending for a title. At least now I can delete his Instagram page.
I really hope I’m wrong, but I’ve been saying for a long time that the Mets have never been able to maximize Thor’s potential and the right team will. Hope he doesn’t blossom a little late like Curt Schilling. JUst wish we could have traded him or Wheeler for a haul when their values were up instead of waiting to lose them for draft pick comp.