Noah Syndergaard says about the Mets what everyone was thinking

When starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard spurned a qualifying offer from the New York Mets for a one-year, $21 million deal from the Los Angeles Angels, it was not only a raise in salary but also apparently a lowering of questions about his surroundings and what might be coming next.

Noah Syndergaard said “uncertainty” with the New York Mets was a factor in his departure

In a Zoom link provided by the Los Angeles Angels and tweeted out by SNY, the 29-year-old right-hander was asked if the New York Mets not having a general manager or manager at the start of the offseason affected his decision to change coasts, if at all. Syndergaard responded with a statement that summarized what Mets fans already knew.

“It definitely was in the back of my head a little bit,” Syndergaard said. “This is a really important year for me. This is kind of a make-or-break time for me. I didn’t want to gamble on that kind of uncertainty that was going on with them.”

You can hear the question and his answer in the tweet below.

There’s no question that it has been a year to forget for the Mets, but things seem to coming into more focus as the team has now officially hired Billy Eppler as its general manager. Now Eppler will get to the task of hiring a manager and setting New York’s plan for the rest of the offseason into motion.

However, the hire was too late for the Mets to keep Syndergaard, who decided the stability and contract offered by the Angels outweighed his familiar surroundings in the Big Apple.

Syndergaard understands what is at stake in 2022 as he looks to prove he can regain the dominance he exhibited before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Having pitched just two innings in the past two seasons, it’s understandable why Syndergaard would do everything he could to have his “make-or-break” season happen in an environment with less distractions and uncertainty. Unfortunately for Mets fans, in his mind, that wasn’t going to be at Citi Field.