Noah Syndergaard would ‘love’ to return to Mets: ‘It’s the best place to play’

New York Mets would “love” to return to Queens.”I would love to come home to New York,” Syndergaard said during an appearance on former Mets manager Terry Collins‘ podcast. “Hopefully that’s in store for me. I love the fan base, I love the city. I love the culture, the history, the passion. It’s the best place to play.”

Syndergaard left the Mets after the 2021 season, rejecting the one-year qualifying offer in order to sign a one-year deal with the Angels for $21 million.

At the time, Syndergaard cited the uncertainty surrounding the Mets as one of the main reasons for his departure.

But Syndergaard’s camp also went to the press with claims of “radio silence” from the Mets.

“It definitely was in the back of my head a little bit,” Syndergaard said about the Mets not having a manager or GM in place early that offseason. “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 has been going on with them.”

He added: “It was the hardest decision of my life, but I definitely think that I made the right decision.”

Syndergaard, who missed all of 2020 and most of 2021 following Tommy John surgery, was solid for the Angels and Phillies (he was traded during the season) in 2022, posting a 3.94 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 25 games over 134.2 innings. But his strikeout rate dipped to an alarmingly low 6.3 per nine.

In 2023, Syndergaard struggled badly with the Dodgers (7.16 ERA in 55.1 innings) and Guardians (5.40 ERA in 33.1 innings).

He has not pitched since being released by the Guardians last August, but is planning to attempt a comeback for the 2025 season, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported this past July.

Before needing Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard was a force of nature for the Mets from 2015 to 2019, posting a 3.31 ERA (2.92 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP with 775 strikeouts in 716.0 innings — a rate of 9.7 per nine.

His fearlessness (including a purpose pitch to start Game 3 of the 2015 World Series), big personality, and triple-digit fastball endeared him to the fans, and helped make the Mets’ rotation one of the best in baseball.

It’s unclear whether the Mets would be interested in a reunion, but it would certainly be intriguing if they did — especially if Syndergaard is able to gain some of his lost fastball velocity back.