Angels GM Perry Minasian believes Noah Syndergaard has the ‘moxie’ to lead staff

Time will tell if the Angels’ decision to take a chance on Noah Syndergaard works out well. If it fails, Perry Minasian said, it certainly won’t be for lack of information.

“We’ve done as many man-hours of work on this individual as I’ve ever done on an individual player,” the Angels’ general manager said Wednesday, a day after committing a $21 million deal to a pitcher who has barely pitched in the past two seasons because of rehab from Tommy John surgery. “We feel really good where he’s at in his rehab. The physical went really well. I think it’s a good gamble to take.”

Syndergaard, 29, was one of baseball’s best pitchers in the first years of his career with the New York Mets.

Syndergaard had a 2.93 ERA in his first four seasons, helping pitch the Mets to the World Series as a rookie in 2015. He has a career 2.42 ERA in four postseason games, including seven scoreless innings in the 2016 National League wild-card game, which the Mets lost to the San Francisco Giants.

“I think when he’s right, he’s one of the better pitchers in the game,” Minasian said. “I think he’s one of those guys that you want to give the ball in big spots.”

Syndergaard struggled in 2019 and then missed the past two seasons with injuries, which is why it’s such a risky proposition for the Angels. Minasian said he feels comfortable with the risk because of all he’s learned about Syndergaard, including during a three-hour dinner last week in New York.

Syndergaard is scheduled to speak to the media about the deal on Friday.

“We’re betting on him and he’s betting on us,” Minasian said. “He did not come here to lose. He wants to win as bad as any player I’ve talked to. He’s as competitive as it gets, and that’s the kind of player we’re looking for.”

Minasian had said last week at the GM meetings that the Angels were looking for a pitcher who is “aggressive” and can “set the tone” for the rest of the staff.

“The aggressiveness with which he pitches, the moxie, whatever you want to call it, I think complements our rotation really well,” Minasian said.

That rotation still needs work, though. Syndergaard joins a group that includes Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval and José Suarez. The Angels are planning to use a six-man rotation in 2022, so they still need more starters. The internal candidates include Griffin Canning, Jaime Barria and Reid Detmers.

“There’s no secrets,” Minasian said. “We’re looking for multiples. We’d like to add more.”

Top free agent starters like Max Scherzer, Cy Young Award-winner Robbie Ray and Marcus Stroman will all command annual salaries of $20 million to $30 million. A cheaper pitcher, like the Cincinnati Reds’ Luis Castillo, could be had in trade if the Angels are willing to give up a chunk of young talent.

The Syndergaard deal pushes the Angels’ current salary commitments to around $150 million. Their payroll last season was about $180 million. It’s unclear if it will be the same in 2022. Minasian said “anything is possible” when asked if the payroll could go up.

He added that owner Arte Moreno is open to spending.

“The Moreno family is willing to invest in this club,” Minasian said. “They’re willing to make the necessary financial commitment to get us where we want to go.”