The 32-year-old right-hander has been working out in Texas since the summer and is hopeful for a return to a big-league rotation in 2025. The last time we saw Syndergaard on the mound he registered a 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 56/19 K/BB ratio across 88 2/3 innings between the Guardians and Dodgers during the 2023 campaign. Stranger things have happened, but Syndergaard’s return to fantasy relevance seems highly unlikely.

There were plenty of reports last winter about teams being interested in Syndergaard, but none ever panned out, perhaps because the former All-Star wasn’t interested in taking a minor league deal. Syndergaard had a 6.50 ERA in 18 starts for the Dodgers and Guardians last year.

The Padres desperately need starting rotation help after losing Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha this winter, and all signs point to Blake Snell moving on as well. San Diego has also expressed interest in lower-tier free agents Michael Lorenzen, Eric Lauer, and Hyun Jin Ryu. Syndergaard threw a bullpen session in late January for interested teams and reportedly sat between 93-95 mph with his fastball. The right-hander is looking to have a bounce back season after posting a 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 56/19 k/BB ratio over 88 2/3 innings with the Dodgers and Guardians.

Syndergaard — along with Michael Lorenzen — threw a bullpen session in front of representatives of around 16 teams on Tuesday in California. During that session, the 31-year-old right-hander sat consistently between 93-95 mph with his fastball and looked good by all accounts. Syndergaard registered a horrific 6.50 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 56/19 K/BB ratio over 88 2/3 innings between the Dodgers and Guardians in 2023. He’ll almost assuredly have to settle for a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training at this point — even if it is from the Pirates.