Baltimore Orioles Meet With Free Agent Starter

The Baltimore Orioles are ready to make a move into contender status in 2023, and to that end, they're on the hunt to beef up their pitching staff this winter. They've been checking in on most of the available free agent starters, and according to a new report, they've already met with at least one of them.

The Orioles are in search for starting pitching and met via Zoom on Friday with Noah Syndergaard.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 3, 2022

MLB Insider Joel Sherman writes that the O's had a Zoom call on Friday with former New York Met, Los Angeles Angel and Philadelphia Phillie starter Noah Syndergaard. 

The 30-year-old returned to the mound in 2022 from a two-year absence due to Tommy John surgery and posted a 3.94 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. Those numbers are slightly above his pre-surgery numbers, but most alarming is his reduced velocity. His 6.3 K/9 were far below the nearly 10 K/9 that he registered with the Mets in the first five years of his career. 

But he still held his own this season in stints with the Angels and Phillies, and it stands to reason that he could still recover some of the lost velocity as he moves forward, and could serve as a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter. 

The O's finished the '22 season at 83-79 and are hoping a reconstructed starting staff will help take them to the next level.

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