The Mets have been without Noah Syndergaard over the past two seasons as a result of his March 2020 Tommy John surgery. He’d embarked upon a minor league rehab assignment in May, but renewed elbow inflammation forced the club to shut him down for an additional six weeks.
Syndergaard is throwing again in hopes of a late-season return, but it seems the setback has cost him a chance at making it back as a starter. General manager Zack Scott suggested this evening the team is hoping to get the hard-throwing righty back as a reliever at some point next month (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com).
Allowing Syndergaard to work in shorter stints upon his return would reduce the amount of time he’ll need to ramp up arm strength in preparation. The 28-year-old still hasn’t begun a rehab assignment, and he’ll surely need multiple weeks to build back up even if he’s working toward a bullpen workload. With a little less than eight weeks remaining in the season, it seems the club would rather shorten that process and get Syndergaard back in some capacity as quickly as possible.
The Mets got good work from the starting rotation early in the season, but that hasn’t been the case in recent weeks. Since July 18 — when New York placed Jacob deGrom on the injured list due to forearm inflammation — Mets starters have a 5.79 ERA that ranks 26th leaguewide. Marcus Stroman and Tylor Megill have pitched well lately, but Taijuan Walker has been bombed over his past five starts and Rich Hill hasn’t missed bats since being traded to New York.
deGrom was shut down from throwing for two weeks following his own setback on July 30. The two-time Cy Young award winner is still hoping to pitch this season, but he’s facing similar time pressures as Syndergaard. There’s no indication at this point that the Mets are considering bringing deGrom back as a reliever as well. That said, there’s still plenty of uncertainty regarding his projected timetable.
The Mets’ rotation woes have contributed to a disastrous few weeks that has seen them fall to third place in the NL East. New York is still only 2.5 games back of the Phillies (and a half game behind the Braves), so there’s plenty of opportunity to right the ship. Getting some sort of contributions from Syndergaard — even if it’s not in the role hoped for entering the season — would be a nice boon to their chances of climbing back atop the division.
The final two months of the year are also critical to Syndergaard personally. He’s slated to hit free agency at the end of the season. His late-season form will certainly have an effect on the market he’ll find. Before the injury woes, Syndergaard looked like one of the top starting pitchers in this year’s class thanks to a 3.73 ERA/3.25 FIP between 2018-19.
So fascinating what his offseason looks like. One would think he’d just take a QO.
That is probably what will happen. Similar to what Stroman did this year. Is there a limit on how many QOs a team can make? NY might also give one to Conforto. I dont think they can make one to Baez.
No limit and no to Baez, teams can’t offer QOs to people who they trade for mid season.
Teams may QO as many of their free agents as they want, assuming they don’t fall under any of the rules that make them ineligible for a QO like Baez or Stroman.
Only one once for any player. Baez can’t receive one since he didn’t play a full year for the Mets.
Yea once per player is what I thought to and the player has to have played a full season with a team to receive one, so deadline players are ineligible
If they gave a QO to Stroman I have to believe they give them to Thor and Conforto.
My prediction is Stro and Conforto reject theirs and Thor accepts.
Didn’t Stroman already get QO’d this past season?
Edit: I should have read the above comments and my question was already answered
@VonPurple Hayes No. Stroman won’t reject his. You have to get one to be able to reject it. And he can’t get one this offseason.
Yup. Caught that in the earlier comment. Stro can’t get one. My bad.
Why would Conforto reject? I’m almost wondering if the Mets will even offer with Conforto doing a Jason Bay impersonation
Because he’s a Boras client and wants to get paid.
Mistakes happen Von. Just wanted to say as a Mets fan I always appreciate your input.
TY. Every Met fan I’ve encountered on this site offers valuable insight except for maybe one, but he’s hilarious.
If Syndergaard had been able to to start this season he would have been one of the most sought after pitchers in free agency. Given his age and potential ace status, he could have gotten a huge deal. Now, I agree that he would accept a QO.
The other free agent pitchers with top of the rotation stuff are too old to command long term deals.
I don’t know about him getting a huge deal. He’s been injured or terrible for many years now.
Terrible?
Baez is a half season rental. He will sign 6-7 years 225-230 this off-seaso
Hurt for the two seasons which is everyone AFTER TJ, terrible? Not in this lifetime lol
Baez won’t sniff anything close to that .
Can’t see him getting more than 5/6 for $120/130m
Baez’ poor bat to ball skill, along with no eye at the plate is likely to limit the length. Expecting 4 years with opt outs on the remote chance he learns those things.
My apologies. Poor choice of words on my end. Is ‘mediocre’ better?
Yup, let him leave like Wheeler, then claim his development. How’s they working out
I think the problem with Syndergaard is this…….
For years FO people, managers, players and fans (including myself) have waited for Mr. Thor to be the dominating TOR that he appears to have the stuff to be. At times he’s been very good. There have been periods where he has dominated for a month or so – however, he’s inconsistent. His overall stats are very good. Two stand out…..
In the 5 years between 2015 and 2019 he’s pitched 716 innings in 119 games. That’s an average of about 143 innings a year in 24 games. He hasn’t pitched the past 2 years. He’s gotten paid nicely, including around $20M the past 2 years for not pitching. (No big deal, look how much the Mets threw away on Robinson Cano, and they still owe him over $40M in the next 2 years as he becomes their Jacoby Ellsbury. The Mets are very similar to the Yankees, but not as good).
Noah Syndergaard is a microcosm of the NY Mets over his career – their performance on the field, and the payroll they lay out for it.
After a period of time and necessary adjustments, some TJ surgery pitchers come back better than before. Mr. Thor is 28 years-old, still time to be a dominant ML pitcher. Then again, that’s what’s been said about him his entire career.
His issue is that pitchers don’t need to come to camp every season having put on 10lbs of muscle and looking like linebackers. Pitchers need flexibility not being bulky. Pitchers do too much heavy weight training and it strains and taxes the ligaments and tendons they need to stay healthy. That is a big contributor why guys get TJ surgery so much. Not always, but a lot of the time. Guys used to throw 300 innings in a season. They need to take a look at how players were able to do it back then, cause whatever they’re doing now isn’t working.
re sign him, dont let another wheeler get away.
@kahnkobra They don’t get to “let” or “not let” him do anything.
20 mil the last 2 years? How about a simple google search on his contract before pretending to be smart
Syndergaard has short circuited his own career a few times now. First, flat out stating he wanted to be the hardest thrower in baseball and lifted weights on his own in the off season, destroying his shoulder.
I fully believe that injury led to current TJS situation, then accelerating his recovery and most likely throwing too hard and too soon.
He has failed to improve in holding runners on or developing/using his change up.
His career is absolutely taking the same path as Harvey’s:
Too much marketing, not enough performance after the domination ended.
I’m really surprised that the Mets allowed deDegrom to throw 100+ 10 times more than anyone else in baseball. We needed him him on the mound, throwing 97, 30 starts this year, not watching from the IL as we squandered an 8 game lead while playing the Pirates, Marlins, Phillies and Nats.
6-$150 would be my early guess
Ive heard gossip that the mets are for sale…and that the MY PILLOW GUY wants to buy them. He said that he would supply free pillows to fans if they stayed up 72 hours with him
Why would you QO a guy who’s been healthy 1 of the last 5 seasons (and wasn’t particularly good that season)? Health is a skill, the past predicts the future, it’s not random.
Why would you QO a guy who didn’t pitch at all in his contract year, was not homegrown and just alienated the team’s entire fanbase? Cuz that’s what the Mets did with Stroman.
150 inn plus 4 of 5 seasons 2015-2019
TJ 2020
Sub 3.35
6’6” and throws 98-100
Yup, those guys just grow on trees in MLB
The Mets will be the Mets.
Mets are going to do Mets things.
Lol love it! Brillaint take! Keep them coming. Lousy Mutts LOL
so much for the guy coming off TJS being their savior…
Yeah. I cannot believe they didn’t get an arm besides Rich Hill before the deadline.
Why outlay for starting pitching when they can’t hit?
Because starting pitching carried them during a successful first half. Now that their pitching has come to earth, the offensive woes look worse because opponents are outscoring them. The Mets offense stunk all year. It’s not a new issue. The pitching is.
Alonso is also a big problem, especially as he put himself up as a team leader…..
He’s so in love with hitting HR’s that he’s a horrible example for the rest of the team (resentment is around the corner). I saw him against the Phillies swinging away for a HR when the team was runs behind and they needed a baserunner, not a one run HR. Even the Mets radio announcers commented on it.
MLB games are not Home Run Derby.
Along with his poor defense, this is a guy that’s too busy being an entertainer and not being committed to helping his team win. Put him in the hot dog category with Acuna, and Tatis….which is why in the Spring when asked which “superstar” would have the best career, I picked Soto.
There’s nothing to save. The Mets are a dumpster fire
I know it’s fun to rag on the Mets on here but I would like to see Syndergaard come back strong after everything he has been through the last few years.
No thanks! The Mets & their fans deserve to lose forever…which they will do!
Mate this was a (I assume based on different threads) true Yankee fan wishing good to the Mets, shush and take it. Irdc what team you support you don’t wish ill on a players return OR the fan base that supports the team
All a rational Met fan can do is be optimistic and hope the next 2 months are kinder to us. I like that route better than the ready to jump off a bridge approach.
I love my Mets but it ain’t that serious.
Another double header….. another factor as to why the Mets are pulling away. Those are guaranteed to be a split. Obviously it’s not as big of a factor as injuries but still.
What makes a DH a guarantee to be a split? If that were even remotely true, why even bother playing the games? Nobody will ever question your passion for the Mets but try to be a little more realistic when you’re evaluating your team. They might be world beaters on a strateg-o board but they’ve looked the opposite when the actual games are played.
Bc they been injured. So many people here just look at record lol
Most teams have and are dealing with injuries. The Mets have good players but they just aren’t that good. Playing .500 baseball in the worst division in the league won’t get you very far. I have nothing against them I’m just calling it like I see it.
Using injuries as an excuse is a cop out. All teams deal with injuries and have to plug and play players in their lineups and rotations. It’s unfortunately part of the game. Here is a list of the Top 5 teams with games missed due to injuries. You’re the only fan that regularly claims injuries as an excuse.
San Diego 1467
NYM 1191
Toronto and Tampa 1185
LAD 1117
Everyone of these teams have dealt with injuries and 4 of them play in the 2 best divisions in baseball and have weathered the storm and continue to put themselves in position for the postseason. Excuses are weak, find a better argument or accept reality.
I’m not compare war lost to injures…. Again you fail to miss the point.
It’s it hard to figure out that teams don’t compare to the Mets in what kind of injures they have… stop saying everyone has injuries. I wish we had injuries like the Phillies had the year. Or the redsoxs or yankes…
Keep in mind that the Mets injuries were mostly to their starters on the field for a good portion – only three starters managed to avoid the IR. Pitching is what kept them in first, along with crappy competition in the East.
If “yankes” means Yankees…
Well, they currently have 20(!) players on one IL or another. Including starting pitchers; Cole, Sevy, Kluber, Montgomery, German, & Schmidt.
Got beat tomight.
Wasn’t because of injuries though. We lost because we played a crappy ball game.
Your mets are losing due to the exact same reason, bro.
Darn right Ducky!
At least Baez got to experience this sucky Mets team so it alleviates any questions for his offseason. He will definitely want to go to a winning culture like the Yankees now.
A winning culture and Yankees in the same sentence?
LOL
You’re referring to MLB’s most ballyhooed franchise that’s been in the top 3 in payroll every year since 2009 and never got to a WS? THAT “winning culture”? The strike ’em out, hit HR’s to the short RF porch and who cares if you can’t play D, more runners along, or win games even though the team is not playing well that day? Just bully your way along and blame something or someone when the team inevitably falls short….those Yankees?
Baez is perfect for the Yankees – an overrated, incomplete, flashy, streaky payer entitled player expecting to be paid as a star with an ego to match. A perfect match!
Dodgers don’t count . Lose top free agent and trade for sherzer and turner .
This guy is really comparing Yankee injuries to Mets injuries lol. I’m sure Cole will be come back in a week…. Can’t say the same for Degrom…
“95 to 103 wins.” The Dodgers might be as good as the Mets.
“The Marlins are 3-2 against the Mets. After the next series, the Mets will be 5-3 against the Marlins.”
Marlins still bottom feeders?
We’ve been feeding off of the Mets…sooooo…yes.
For all the talk of the weak NLE, it’s the one division where the last place team does not get beat up on. Look at the Marlins intradivision record. The Rockies and Diamondbacks get crushed in the NLW. The East doesn’t have that luxury.
They are are still a bad team.
So are the Mets and not just because of injuries.
@ VonPurpleHayes;
I knew the Mets were an ill-constructed, overrated team and wrote about it here from Spring Training on. That roster and the player contracts has any FO Exec that tries to straighten it pout pretty much boxed in. But watching them play the Phillies was pathetic. Here’s one……
JD Davis cannot play any defense. But the fans make excuses. There’s a Phillie on 2nd with 2 outs. A grounder is hit to Davis by a fast runner. Davis crouches down waiting for the ball to come to him. Baez at SS knows the batter will beat the throw to 1B, so he cuts in front of Davis, gloves the ball and running in the opposite direction hurriedly throws the ball across his body to 1B. Whoops. He throws it in the dirt, Alonso can’t dig it out, the ball gets by him. Runner from 2b scores.
Baez is given an error. Davis is home free. He caused the mishap. And if he’d fielded the ball and thrown to 1B, it would be an infield hit….no error for not charging the ball.
All the NL East teams are sloppy to some degree like this on defense and running the bases. Stats lie – but kids on here don’t see that because they never learned how to play the game or watched others play it. They pour over the stats and watch the highlights.
The NL East IS as bad as it appears. I picked the Phillies to win it in 2021 because of Dombrowski and Girardi. Little things – like Ronald Torreyes playing 3B during the stretch run, and acquiring Freddy Galvis to play there as well as backing up SS as defense – good or bad – turns games at critical times in the season.
Even the Braves have been playing crummy baseball – and note that they’re doing almost as well without the hot dog in RF as they did with him. FO’s such as the Brewers, Rays, Giants, Indians, Astros, Dodgers, and others (i.e. LaRrussa) understand this. Only the Nationals in the NLE – by clearing the decks – have payroll space and rosters containing some young players with a good amount of upside yet to come.
“I picked the Phillies to win it in 2021 because of Dombrowski and Girardi.” I don’t know; they seem to be a poorly constructed team from the top down. IF defense has been weak for several years and the bullpen has been a joke. Additionally, I’m not encouraged by moves such as trading Nick Pivetta for Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman. For Nick Pivetta they got -0.6 bWAR and -0.3 bWAR in 2020. Pivetta’s given Boston 0.6 bWAR in 2020 and 2.2 bWAR so far in 2021. TLDR–I think the Phillies’ problems start at the top.
@wes_r You’re right, but none of those moves were Dombrowski. That was last year. And let’s be real, Pivetta was horrendous for multiple years in Philly. He needed a change of scenery.
One consolation I have is the troll Marlins Fan Base; I never really cared one way or other about the Marlins but due to his incessant trolling on posts about the Mets and him saying he enjoys irritating Mets fans I would hope he would get a hobby or a life, it’s sad and pathetic when a person has to take joy in the distress of others, real or imagined in the case of Mets Fan 22.
That being said I now have joy in watching the Marlins lose!
I guess the reason he posts here is there aren’t any posts on the Marlins?
LMAO! @MarlinsFanBase for the win
@Canosucks
1986
No teams get injured except for the Mets. It’s really the reason for their struggles, even though they actually played better when more guys were hurt. The Mets offense is the best in baseball even though they score the 2nd fewest runs. Did you know that no teams have double headers except for the Mets? Also did you know that it only rains over Citifield? No other city gets bad weather. The Mets face constant struggle. It’s not fair. They are really something special. In fact, they would be the best team in baseball history if not for all the adversity they face. Pete Alonso proclaimed himself to be the best power hitter in baseball, and he would be if pitchers weren’t throwing him such good pitches. It’s really not fair. How is he supposed to hit those? Other teams don’t see pitches like that. Everything is stacked against the Mets. It’s so unfair, but they’ll still win the division, and if they don’t we have a ton of excuses lined up. They really are special.
They didn’t play better. They just played the east part of the schedule…. Now the injured team is playing the hard part and you see what’s happening….
“The injured team” isn’t so injured anymore. deGrom? Huge injury, but only starts 1 out of every 5 games and doesn’t fix the offensive woes. Lindor injury? Huge, but you essentially replaced him with Baez. I’m not belittling those injuries, but come on. The “battered” Mets routine is old. The Braves are much more injured than the Mets now (not over the course of the season, but right now) and they’re winning games.
VonPurpleHayes;
Every team in MLB has had a rash of injuries this year.
FO’s knew it was coming. It’s why teams like the Rays, Brewers, Giants, Dodgers keep winning. They loaded up their rosters with quality all-around players as opposed to guys that do a few things well. So there are always players to run out each day for the team to play solid baseball and be competitive.
Fans of the teams that complain – starting with the entitled Yankees and Mets fans – just show how little they understand about how the sport is played; and why they believe the national media buzz about their teams which is primarily done to get fans in their large market to tune into their cable TV programs and click their websites – which is how they generate revenue.
Tampa Bay and Milwaukee are 2 of the best run franchises in MLB – they should be studied and appreciated nationally. They aren’t because the national media can’t rub elbows with the FO’s and players, and national media people have no idea why teams win in MLB which they don’t really care about anyway – like similar fans, they’re in it for the entertainment, gossip, soap opera aspects, and to argue stats.
@Samuel Absolutely. I was veing sarcastic and making fun of the injury complaints. It’s a tired excuse and doesn’t acknowledge that the Mets, like much of the NLE, are quite flawed.
Agree you can’t complain about injuries especially when you did nothing at the deadline to fix the SP; all on Mets management.
I was glad to see the Coupons go but Cohen has done no favors by extending Lindor before he knew he could play in NY.
And Cohen’s constant rah rah giving Mets player the participation trophy does nothing to light a fire or sense of urgency on this team.
He should forget he is a fan and act like and owner and stop trying to be liked by the players; its BIZ!
@VonPurpleHayes
You forgot the part about 1962 Mets > 1927 Yankees
Maybe they can sign the stuffed horse?
Nothing like seeing Metsfan22 eat it.
When are they going to replace their medical staff for pitchers? My goodness.
So sick of being a Mets fan. Nothing but disasters and embarrassments all season long. Still Can’t believe Cohen gave into the pressure and signed Lindor before seeing if he is capable of performing in NY. He already looks like Cano. He should give that money back. He doesn’t deserve a contract like that.
But Lindor has that flashy smile and hair dye.
Mets should trade for Hosmer and have an all bad contract infield. Bonilla at 3rd
Not to mention the fact that Alonso is going to want a new deal soonish. Wow. That infield is going to be expensive.
Bonilla’s contract was not a bad one. The Wilpons offered more money in order to defer his salary. They used that savings wisely to acquire Mike Hampton, which lead to them getting Dabid Wright.
It’s a little over a million dollars a year. Who cares? Cardinals will be paying Matt Holliday $1.5 million each year until Holliday is 49 years old. Todd Helton is getting $1.31 annually until he’s 49. Chris Sale is going to get $10 million a year from ages 46-50. The Reds have been paying Griffey $3.6 million every year and will do so until he’s 54.
The list goes on but the grandaddy is not even Bonilla, it’s Bruce Sutter. $1.19 million each year for 30 years PLUS a $9 million payment at the end. All he did to deserve that was pitch 150 terrible innings. It’s so lazy to mock the Bonilla deal.
It was just a joke man
I know it’s a long and expensive contract but Lindor is a good ball player. I wouldn’t give up on him after one season. He’s bound to bounce back.
Yeah I know. Lindor will get back to form. I just didn’t like them hurrying to extend him without seeing what the coming offseason would look like
Lindor will get back to form?
And the cow jumped over the moon.
Agree from the start with the second half of the post.
Never should have extended him, bad move!
Alonso contract beware can you say STEROIDS? just saying.
A QO offer and acceptance is probably best for both sides. Syndergaard can step into Stroman’s rotation spot in 2022 after he hits free agency this offseason and likely leaves. Thor can re-establish his value over a full season and hit free agency a year delayed. Strange to think that both Syndergaard and deGrom may no longer be Mets after 2022, assuming Jacob can get healthy and trips his opt out.
I mean it’s worth pointing out though that in 2023 we’ll have a ton of money to work with. For the 2023 season, the only guys on the roster set to make more than $10M are Carrasco, Lindor, McCann, and Cano. Alonso, McNeil, and Smith will still be under team control too. The only significant free agents we’ll have to worry about by then are Conforto, Syndergaard, Nimmo, and deGrom if he opts out. According to spotrac, if you add back in Cano and remove deGrom, we only have $86M committed. Factor in arbitration raises and that can’t go much more than $110M all in across the roster.
R.I.P.
The thing with arb raises and impending free agency deals is: you have to play well to get a big raise. If the Mets are worried about a payroll crunch for next year, the only players due for a major raise based on performance are Alonso and Stroman. Arb raises for Smith and McNeil will be minimal. Conforto and Syndergaard will not get major free agency money, and their QOs, should they accept them, won’t be that much more than they are making this season. If they’re worried that the roster isn’t talented enough, they can get rid of players and shed payroll. Plus they’ve already got Familia and his $11.7M coming off the books so that is something. I don’t think they need to be worried about talent retention from a financial standpoint because the only player on the team they might not be able to AFFORD to bring back, based on his season earning him a major raise, is Stroman.
Long relief (scheduled) would be a good thing for this team right now. If he can get to the point where he could get through the lineup once, it would take such a load off the bullpen.
He’s obviously (I hope) not going to be coming in every other day, so let him tag team with Walker or follow an opener to skip Walker. How quick would his fastball look following Rich Hill?!?
Honestly, unless the Mets start hitting, it really doesn’t matter. Our hitters need a clue or a shrink, maybe both. The talent is certainly there, but no one other than Pillar and Villar seem to attack pitches. It’s not like we have been facing Cy Young candidates every game the past four weeks.
‘Fun’ fact from last night’s suspended game:
Mets starting pitchers have won FOUR games in the last 43 games played. We don’t score early and starters don’t stick around long, averaging just 4.6 innings per start during this stretch.
But hey, we got Baez and Rich Hill for the stretch run! (Sigh)
@ jim stem;
Here’s something to consider…….
The Rays have a deep, effective bullpen. Most people see that they have LH and RH pitchers there. Some note that they also have a mix of pitches – out pitches include fastballs, sliders/breaking balls, even change ups. But the amazing thing the FO did was look at release points in acquiring relief pitchers. It gives Manager Kevin Cash the ability to bring in pitchers that cause opposing batters to have to face different speeds and arm angles each time up – which drives them crazy and effectively messes up their rhythm.
The Mets grab any guy that has some sort of past rep and give him to the pitching coach (and his staff) to work magic on.
The Mets have to look at Syndergaard and determine what the free agent value is at the end of the season, not now.
It already seems like the Mets are going to play chicken with Marcus Stroman and attempt to re-sign him in free agency rather than extend him when they have exclusive rights. Might they try to save $3-5MM with little risk of spending a ton more to totally secure him?
I think Syndergaard’s situation will change dramatically based upon 1) if he pitches 2) how well / what velocity he shows 3) how much he pitches.
A) If Syndergaard doesn’t pitch or pitches poorly with a loss of velocity, I expect the Mets won’t make a QO and instead try to re-sign him for a year at $12MM-15MM.
B) If Syndergaard pitches a little and looks “okay” I expect the Mets will make a QO and Syndergaard will take it.
C) If Syndergaard returns, shows dominant stuff, the Mets will try to extend him for Jason Wheeler money because it may cost them even more after Thor declines the QO.
I think that even if he comes back and is very dominant, he is not going to get a multi year, $100M plus contract until he builds a stronger sample size, especially if they’re putting him in the bullpen.
Using Wheeler as a precedent, it took him 4 years to get back to the point where he could throw 180 innings again, and after just 2 seasons of proving his health he got himself a 5/$118M deal.
If Thor, who hasn’t thrown 180 innings in 2 years, just pitches out of the bullpen upon returning, there is absolutely no way anyone will offer him anything close to that kind of money. Comparatively, Taijuan Walker got $20M guaranteed despite never once eclipsing 180 innings and only throwing 67 total innings in the 3 previous years before his deal. I think the Mets offer Thor a QO, and if he rejects it I don’t think he’d get much more than what Walker got on the open market.
Jason Wheeler never made any more than the league minimum…
I love Thor, but does anyone think that Zack Scott might have been referring to him with his “compliance issues” comments? Even before his TJS, Thor missed almost a whole season in 2017 after spending the whole offseason bulking up instead of doing more traditional pitching conditioning workouts as I recall. Maybe the Mets don’t want to re sign him because he’s too much of a self induced injury risk, and maybe the rest of the industry feels the same way? At least, enough that nobody is going to offer him a huge contract if they can’t be convinced he’ll stay healthy or listen to the training staff. Harsh, but there might be some truth to it.