Atlanta Braves Rumors: Jared Shuster replacement, Chipper Jones troll, late-season free agent move
By Mark Powell
Atlanta Braves Rumors: Could Noah Syndergaard join the rotation?
Atlanta has used at least 12 starting pitchers this season, as the injuries to Max Fried and Kyle Wright left their depth tested. For the most part, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider have managed to hold down the rotation. Now that Fried is back, the team is in good shape.
However, Kyle Wright isn't ready, and the team doesn't want to rush him back. After another bad start by Jared Shuster, Alex Anthopoulos sent the former first-round pick back down to Gwinnett in favor for Darius Vines. As previously discussed, Vines could prove capable, but he's making his big-league debut at 25 years old for a reason. Could Atlanta search for outside help in the meantime?
Bringing back Wright to a six-man rotation could make sense, especially as he gears up for the postseason. An intriguing starting pitcher just hit the waiver wire in Noah Syndergaard. Assuming Thor clears waivers, the Braves should take a look at their former rival on a prove-it deal.
Syndergaard is on the market for a reason, of course. While he had a nice bounceback season in 2022 with the Angels and NL champion Phillies, Syndergaard has come back down to earth in a big way this season. After a brief tenure with the Dodgers and then Guardians, it's clear something is off with Syndergaard's delivery, plus his confidence. His time with the Guardians, specifically, did not go according to plan, per MLB Trade Rumors:
"Syndergaard ended up making five starts for the Guardians prior to the club’s decision today to move on from him. While his ERA improved with the club relative to his time with the Dodgers, his 4.94 figure was still 16% below average. To make matters worse, he struck out just 12.5% of batters faced while giving up a whopping seven homers in just 27 1/3 innings of work," wrote Nick Deeds of MLBTR.
Syndergaard is a former All-Star. If the Braves (or any team for that matter) can revive that talent, Syndergaard is a worthwhile flyer.
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