Noah Syndergaard passed on the opportunity to return to the New York Mets in the offseason, opting to sign a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels instead. On Friday, Syndergaard gave an intriguing insight into his reasons for doing so.
Syndergaard, since traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, admitted he was wary about having to pitch in New York while getting his velocity back after Tommy John surgery and other subsequent elbow issues. Syndergaard said his “big fear” was that any velocity issues would be magnified in the New York media market.
Noah Syndergaard said a lower stress environment in Anaheim appealed to him in the offseason. He wondered how difficult it would be to go through his velocity issues in New York. “That was a big fear of mine.” pic.twitter.com/KRpc8p9l0i
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) August 12, 2022
Syndergaard routinely approached triple digits with his fastball while pitching for the Mets prior to his injury. That is no longer the case now, understandably, and his fastball has averaged 94 MPH this season.
On the surface, this may look to some like Syndergaard trying to dodge the pressure of pitching in New York. That ultimately does not seem to be the issue, though. Syndergaard was prepared for a season where he would need to get his velocity back after elbow issues, and wanted to do it without the scrutiny of playing for the Mets.
On the other hand, Syndergaard’s departure from New York did not seem to be amicable, and he even took some shots at the Mets on social media this season. Those bridges are probably burned now.
