Report: White Sox sign former All-Star Syndergaard to minor-league deal

The Chicago White Sox agreed to a minor-league contract with former All-Star right-hander Noah Syndergaard, Chuck Garfien of Chicago Sports Network reports.

Syndergaard has reported to the White Sox training complex in Glendale, Arizona, according to Garfien. It's not clear when the 32-year-old will appear in games at any level.

His contract contains an opt-out clause if he's not in the majors by Aug. 1, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

The deal marks the start of a comeback attempt for Syndergaard, who sat out last season after a difficult 2023 campaign.

Syndergaard put up a career-worst 6.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with a 5.7 K/9 rate, 10 hit batters, and 22 home runs allowed over 18 total starts split between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cleveland Guardians in '23. L.A. had signed him to a $13-million contract that offseason before trading him to Cleveland in July. After just six starts with the Guardians, Syndergaard landed on the injured list and was released in August.

One of the top young pitchers in baseball for a brief time, the 6-foot-6 hurler led the New York Mets to the 2015 NL pennant as a rookie and topped the majors in FIP in 2016. However, his career stalled amid injuries over the next few seasons, notably a torn elbow ligament in 2020.

Syndergaard owns a lifetime 59-47 record with a 3.71 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 928 strikeouts, and two shutouts across 941 1/3 big-league innings with five teams. He earned an All-Star nod with the Mets in 2016 and won pennants with New York in 2015 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021.