3 Phillies free agents who left that the fans will not miss in 2023
By Tim Boyle
2. Phillies fans will not miss Noah Syndergaard and his underwhelming tenure
About a year after acquiring Gibson, the Phillies had a trade deadline need for another arm who happened to give them a similar performance. Noah Syndergaard was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels. At least he had some big-game experience in the postseason. It made sense to have him as the target.
Syndergaard was a pure rental for Philly. He made 9 starts and came into the game in relief once. From a 5-8 record and 3.83 ERA in 15 starts for the Angels, Thor dipped down to a 4.12 ERA in Philadelphia. It wasn’t nearly as drastic of a decline as Gibson back in 2021. Syndergaard was a solid enough fifth starter.
Unfortunately, that’s about all he was. Again, the big issue with him was his inability to become a difference-maker in the postseason. Syndergaard made two postseason starts and was used as more of an opener than an actual starting pitcher. He took the loss in Game 5 of the World Series, setting up for the Houston Astros to win it all two days later in their ballpark.
Blink and you missed Syndergaard’s time in Philadelphia. Fans will be thankful he was only a rental. The team needed much more in their rotation. He’s now with the Los Angeles Dodgers who continue to believe he can recapture his glory days from when he was with the New York Mets.