Dodgers' Updated Rotation, Payroll After Reported Noah Syndergaard Contract

The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their starting rotation on Wednesday, signing veteran pitcher Noah Syndergaard, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported it was a one-year deal, with Heyman adding it was for $13 million plus incentives. That should bring the team's projected total payroll to around $215 million.

As ESPN's Alden González noted, Syndergaard will join a rotation that already includes Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. A number of intriguing prospects, including Ryan Pepiot, Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone, are also waiting in the wings.

Walker Buehler will also be under contract with the team after his arbitration is settled, though it's unclear if he'll pitch at all next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, the second time in his career he's required the procedure.

Syndergaard, 30, went 10-10 last season for the Los Angeles Angels and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a 3.94 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 95 strikeouts in 134.2 innings. He also made four appearances (two starts) for the Phillies in the postseason, going 0-1 with a 3.24 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

He is no longer the caliber of pitcher who finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and was an All-Star the following season.

Injuries are arguably the biggest reason. He made only 32 starts between the 2017 and '18 seasons, as he had a partially torn lat muscle and a strained ligament in his right index finger. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020.

As Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com noted, Syndergaard's dip in velocity since those injuries has limited his effectiveness:

"Before his elbow injury, Syndergaard could light up the radar gun like few others. From 2015-19 (including playoffs), Syndergaard threw 1,241 pitches at 99 mph or faster, second in MLB only to Aroldis Chapman. He averaged 98.0 mph on sinkers and four-seamers in that span. Syndergaard's fastest pitch during the 2022 regular season was 96.4 mph, and his two fastballs collectively averaged 93.8 mph. On average, he also threw his slider, changeup and curveball slower than he did in his heyday."

"The velocity drop coincided with a sharp decrease in whiff rate and strikeout rate. Syndergaard not only finished 2022 with career lows in both departments, his 20.1 percent whiff rate and 16.8 percent strikeout rate were both well below the MLB average."

That makes him a back-of-the-rotation option at best, though in Kershaw, Urias and Gonsolin, the Dodgers have an excellent top three, while Dustin May spent much of the 2022 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but was has largely been excellent when healthy.

So Syndergaard very likely will be the No. 4 or 5 option in this rotation. The Dodgers have some major questions after losing Trea Turner, Cody Bellinger and Tyler Anderson in free agency, among others, but the pitching staff isn't one of them.