Terry Francona says Guardians will give newcomer Noah Syndergaard space to find himself

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what Noah Syndergaard brings to the Guardians

“Carl (Willis, pitching coach) and I visited with him for a long time today,” said Francona before Thursday night’s game against the White Sox. “He’s a guy with a really good pedigree, who has fallen on hard times this year.

“We asked him, ‘What’s important to you?’ So often managers and pitching coaches start out and just talk. We wanted him to talk and he did a good job. Carl was like, ‘OK, we’ll simplify things. I’m not going to say anything to you right away. I’m going watch and I don’t want to jump in an make stuff up.”

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The 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander went 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA in 12 starts for the Dodgers. His last big league start was June 7. He went on the injured list after that because of blisters on his pitching hand.

“We told Noah that we just want to see the best of him,” said Francona. “If we see that, everyone is going to be happy.”

Syndergaard will make his first start as a Guardian on Monday against the Astros at Minute Maid Park. He’s made two rehab starts at Class AAA Oklahoma City and was about to catch a flight to make a third start on Thursday when he was traded.

He threw a light bullpen session on Thursday and will throw a regular one on Friday.

“The blister was a blessing in disguise,” said Syndergaard. “I needed a little mental reset. It’s kind of hard to change the tires on a car while it’s still moving. You’re trying to compete every five days, while working on stuff. You really only get one opportunity between starts in your side sessions to work on things.

“It was a nice break to address some issues. I’m definitely feeling a lot better mechanically.”

Syndergaard, 30, was Toronto’s No. 1 pick in 2010. He made a name for himself with the Mets, going 47-31 with a 3.32 ERA in 121 games, including 120 starts. He has since pitched with the Angels, Phillies and Dodgers. Last year he made four postseason appearances with the Phillies, including a start in the World Series.

In 2020 Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He missed the pandemic season and didn’t return full time until last year. He has struggled to rediscover his form since.

“For the last two years I’ve had a lot of cooks in the kitchen, a lot of people thinking they can come out and fix me,” said Syndergaard, who has pitched for four teams in the three years. “Some of them may have been right. Some of them were right, but the translation wasn’t getting to me.

“I just think (I should) go out there and not really listen to what people think I should and should not be doing, but just do what feels good and natural to me. I feel some people are trying to get me to do certain things that aren’t characteristic to how I used to pitch.”

When asked about being traded to Cleveland, Syndergaard said, “There have been a lot of emotions. The balance between a lot of excitement and disappointment in myself because my time with the Dodgers didn’t necessarily go as planned.

“I didn’t blossom into the pitcher I wanted to be. Maybe a fresh start with the Guardians is all I need to bounce back.”

The Guardians are in dire need of a starter with Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill on the injured list and Zach Plesac at Class AAA Columbus.

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