Phillies trade for Syndergaard, send former No. 1 pick to the Angels
The Phillies have acquired Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for outfield prospects Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez, per The Athletic. It’s been a decent deadline for Dave Dombrowski, who beat out the Blue Jays for the starting pitcher.
Syndergaard underwent Tommy John Surgery following the shortened 2020 season.
After declining his offer last offseason with the New York Mets, he joined the Angels on a 1-year, $21M deal. Syndergaard hasn’t been great this season, but he’s an upgrade to whatever the Phillies have been doing in the fifth spot in their rotation with Bailey Falter and bullpen games now that Zach Eflin is on the 60-Day IL.
Syndergaard is 5-8 on the year with a 3.83 ERA in 14 games, tallying 64 strikeouts and a 1.213 WHIP in 80.1 innings.
Simply put, the Phillies needed a fifth starter, and Thor fit the bill. Disagree? Nick Nelson will make a start against the Braves tonight.
It must have been hard for Dombrowski to see that and not realize that if he wanted to compete for a playoff spot, he had to make a move at pitcher. Syndergaard is an immediate upgrade over the likes of Nelson and Bailey Falter. He may not make the playoff rotation, but it’s a solid move addressing a serious need for the team.
It wasn’t the blockbuster move some Phillies fans had hoped for at the deadline, but with Bryce Harper cleared to ramp up his rehab, the team is good enough to hold down the fort until his return.
Sure it’s sad to see Moniak included in the deal, but the former first overall pick is a small price to pay for salvation. His departure ends the tenure of the sole remaining Top 3 draft picks from Philadelphia sports 2015-207 seasons.
It has been clear that the Phillies organization gave up on Moniak a long time ago. He only appeared in 47 MLB games, and had 93 total at-bats. That’s what the Phillies have been willing to give him since calling him up for the first time in 2020. The former 1st overall pick is still just 24 years old and hopefully a fresh start will be good for him. Maybe he will learn how to hit a breaking ball at the major league level out in Los Angeles? An Ohtani, Moniak, Trout outfield does sound pretty intriguing though.
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