Minor deal: Guardians acquire Noah Syndergaard from LA in exchange for SS Rosario

[Auggie]

Rosario has been a consistent offensive provider for the Guardians over the last two and half years. But statistically, he’s ranked among the worst defenders at any position in the Majors. And when it became clear he wasn’t going to be part of Cleveland’s future, as he’s set for free agency this winter, he created a logjam in the middle of the Guardians infield, blocking a handful of their highly touted prospects from getting more playing time as the team hoped his offense and/or defense would start improving as the season continued.

Syndergaard, 30, adds some pitching depth to the Guardians' rotation that is in desperate need of extra arms. He’s pitched to a 7.16 ERA this season with 38 strikeouts and just nine walks in 55 1/3 innings. The righty was one of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball when he began his career in 2015. But once he had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2020, he hasn't been the same.

Syndergaard's fastball velocity has dropped significantly, as he averaged 93.5 mph on his heater last season and 91.5 mph so far this year. He battled issues with a blister on his right index finger and has been on the injured list since June 8. He began his rehab assignment on July 15 and has given up six runs in 10 innings over two starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

“He had a blister issue initially where he did miss some time,” (Guardians president of baseball operations) Chris Antonetti said. “Since then, he’s been working to regain his mechanics and to be able to find some success. He’s made some progress we felt in the last two rehab starts, and so our hope is that we can continue to partner with him and help him contribute at the Major League level in the starting rotation.”

MORE: https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/guardians-trade-amed-rosario-to-dodgers-for-noah-syndergaard

Guardian coaches have a good history of resurrecting / fine-tuning pitchers. This is still a roll of the dice, but if it doesn't work out, at least Cleveland retains their top prospects.