New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard Not Fishing For Extension

Will the New York Mets extend Noah Syndergaard through his remaining years of arbitration-eligibility? Will he sign a Nola/Severino type of deal?

On Tuesday, three pitchers from the New York Mets took to the Florida waters for a fishing trip. This wasn’t a typical, run of the mill fishing trip. The Mets’ pitchers were in search of some big-game as their experience was recorded for the online fishing show, BlacktipH.

Soon after, pictures began to make their way onto social media. Mets’ flamethrower, Noah Syndergaard, stole the show as his post showcased the might of his persona, Thor.  The massive grouper shown did not stand a chance when wrestling with the “god of thunder”.

Syndergaard’s caption later caught my eye… “Catch fish, not feelings”.

Was this simply an update on the righty’s dating life, or did Syndergaard have a deeper meaning in mind…?

In reality, it’s likely that the righty simply couldn’t resist the opportunity for a good pun, but we can relate this harmless caption to another recent comment. Could Syndergaard’s caption depict his level of interest in signing a long term commitment?

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It is extension season around Major League Baseball and Noah Syndergaard hasn’t been able to escape the conversation. The Yankees and Phillies recently reached team friendly agreements with Luis Severino and Aaron Nola, as their extensions will buy out their remaining years of arbitration-eligibility. Now, Noah Syndergaard is a year closer to free agency (per his Super-Two status), but we are still left to wonder, could the New York Mets sign Syndergaard to a similar extension?

The answer is no… according to Tim Britton of the Athletic, Noah Syndergaard isn’t looking to follow the recent trend.

On Wednesday, the righty told the media that he is willing to play out the final three years of team control without an extension. Syndergaard has his eyes set on testing the waters of free agency after 2021.

“I trust my ability and the talent that I have. So I feel like I’m going to bet (on) myself in free agency and not do what they did,” Syndergaard said (via Yahoo Sports) “But if it’s fair for both sides and they approach me on it, then maybe we can talk.”

Syndergaard’s comments display his confident attitude and an unwillingness to be tied down (my connection to the fishing caption). This tactic is certainly understandable, but it comes at a risk. By betting on himself, Syndergaard can take full advantage of the arbitration system, receiving the compensation that he is owed. Aaron Nola and Luis Severino will average around $10-11 million per season throughout the term of their deals. One could argue that their compensation is far below market value.

Last year, Syndergaard had a front row seat to watch teammate, Jacob deGrom, capitalize on a historic season. deGrom received a sizeable raise, as his salary increased from $7.4 million in 2018 to $17 million in 2019. A strong season from Syndergaard could result in his own sizable raise. It is reasonable to assume that a strong season could have Syndergaard earning $12-13 million in 2020. Thor is set to make $6 million in 2019.

As always, injuries could throw off these plans. The 26-year-old has only made 30+ starts in a season once to this point in his career, but by taking this route, Syndergaard should be able to earn the market value for his services.

Mets’ fans shouldn’t be alarmed by this news as Syndergaard is still open to playing with the New York Mets for the long term. In the end, he is only saying that he is not interested in allowing the Mets to buy out the remaining years of his arbitration-eligibility, unless he is happy with the terms of the contract.

Will this pay off in the end? We will have to wait and see, but I like that Syndergaard is attempting to maximize his value. I just hope that the New York Mets will extend their flamethrower as Syndergaard seems inevitably destined to reach free agency after 2021.