Philadelphia Phillies: Noah Syndergaard reunites with Zack Wheeler

What a pulse-pumping deadline for the Philadelphia Phillies. After saying hello to starting center fielder Brandon Marsh and relief pitcher David Robertson — who is returning to Philadelphia — and goodbye to Odubel Herrera and Jeurys Familia, Dave Dombrowski has made yet another deal right before the deadline. The Phillies have found their starter as they have acquired Noah Syndergaard from the Los Angeles Angels.

It seemed as though the Phillies were running out of time as the 6 p.m. deadline rapidly approached, but Dombrowski found a way to get it done and did so without giving up any remaining high-end prospects. In exchange for the once-mighty, and hopefully one day mighty again, Thor is former first overall pick Mickey Moniak and outfield prospect Jadiel Sanchez. In a way, this deal makes up for the perceived overpay for Brandon Marsh, also of the Angels.

With names like Carlos Rodón and Pablo López, fans may be disappointed in the team’s answer to their starting pitching problem, but for the price, there cannot be a strong argument against the deal.

The Philadelphia Phillies have concluded their trade deadline moves by reuniting Zack Wheeler with his former pitching partner, Noah Syndergaard.

Syndergaard and Wheeler reunite after spending seven overlapping seasons with the NY Mets’ organization, sharing four of them together at the Major League level. Once, they were a part of one of the most fearsome rotations in baseball. Now, they’re teaming back up, this time, in Philadelphia.

The past few years haven’t been kind for Syndergaard, who has dealt with a litany of injuries and even underwent Tommy John Surgery. This season, however, the former All-Star has begun to bounce back, boasting a 3.83 ERA. His numbers aren’t quite back to his prime, but the 2022 season has been a major step in the right direction for Syndergaard.

All season long, the Angels have been protective of Syndergaard, implementing a sixth-man rotation and spacing out his appearances. This was not done solely for Syndergaard’s benefit, but it was a nice additional benefit. There is no guarantee of such a luxury in Philadelphia, so the team must monitor his health closely.

Noah Syndergaard will slide in nicely to the Phillies rotation and fills the requirements of what the Phillies needed at the deadline. He may not be controllable after this season, but they certainly did not pay an exorbitant price for the rental starter as only Mickey Moniak and Jadiel Sanchez were dealt in the move.

Mickey Moniak’s time with the Phillies was undoubtedly up. For whatever reason, the young center fielder just couldn’t put it together in Philadelphia. Perhaps he can change that out in Los Angeles. Moniak was ranked the Phillies’ 13th prospect according to Baseball America and ranked as the team’s 16th prospect last season according to MLB.com’s prospect rankings.

Outfielder Jadiel Sanchez, meanwhile, is a prospect whose value is up for debate depending on the resource. According to MLB.com, Sanchez does not even register on the Phillies’ top 30 prospect rankings, whereas Baseball America lists the former 12th rounder as the team’s 19th best prospect.

This trade is an absolute win for Dave Dombrowski and the Philadelphia Phillies, and the deadline can officially be considered a success. While they did not add talent on the same level that the Padres and Yankees did, the team addressed their major needs in a future-focused manner. A win-win no matter one’s stance on what they needed heading into the deadline.