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LA Angels rumors: 2 new huge starting pitching names now on the radar

By Evan Desai

Sep 28, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of game two of a doubleheader at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning of game two of a doubleheader at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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The LA Angels are right in the middle of rumor season at this point, being linked to many starting pitchers for weeks now.

Last week, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Angels are in on Alex Wood and Noah Syndergaard. It’s credible, and FanSided National Baseball Columnist and Insider Robert Murray furthered that credibility by including the report in his column on Monday.

Murray made it clear that the Angels are definitely focused on pitching above everything, and are still players for Max Scherzer. He said that he expects the Angels to sign one, and maybe even two starting pitchers.

Alex Wood and Noah Syndergaard are good options for the LA Angels, but they also need to sign a true Ace.

Alex Wood and Noah Syndergaard, for that number two/three role in the rotation for the LA Angels, could be tremendous value signings. Wood has never made over $9.65 million, and Syndergaard has never made more than $9.7 million in his career.

And as for Syndergaard, he pitched a total of two innings this year, and two since the end of 2019. He’s not going to demand a huge payday. It wouldn’t make sense, and the Angels could get a pitcher in Syndergaard who absolutely has Ace potential, and who’s worst season included this stat line:

10-8 W-L record, 4.28 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.234 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 9.2 K/9

I’m taking that floor if it comes with the ceiling that we saw from Thor in 2016, when he was an All-Star. His stats from that season were electric:

14-9 W-L record, 2.60 ERA, 2.29 FIP, 1.149 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 10.7 K/9, 0.5 HR/9, 155 ERA+

With all this being said, the Angels need to make sure Syndergaard is healthy. Obviously, he hasn’t been able to pitch much in years, and a thorough medical review will be needed. This team dealt with so many injuries last year, and doesn’t have time to take risks that don’t outweigh the reward.

The good thing, again, is that he’ll be nowhere near the price tag that some of these other high-ceiling starting pitchers will demand.

Wood, on the other hand, already overcame his injury issues. He started 26 games this year, and went 10-4. He posted a 3.83 ERA to go along with a 1.183 WHIP.

Like Syndergaard, Wood has been an All-Star in this league before, and both aren’t old.

The interesting thing about Wood’s potential salary is that he’s been very similar to the pitcher he is now throughout his entire career. This level of play has never awarded him a contract worth $10 million or more, so the Angels could be in on a bargain here.

He’s of course going to ask for more than what he earned this past year, but that was just $5 million. He made $5 million last year, and has never made any more than $9.65 million in his entire career. He’s not currently significantly better than he’s been throughout his career, so the Angels have a chance to sign him for not too much higher than that $9.65 million average annual value he made in 2019.

Next. Halos were close to signing E-Rod. dark

Wood has pitched at a high level for a steal of a contract throughout his whole career. I of course want the Angels to keep tabs on the most elite of the elite names. That being said, if the Angels check in on Syndergaard and know he can stay healthy, or if they can sign Wood for another bargain, the two of them bring a lot of excitement to the table as No. 3 starters in this rotation.

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