Mets Outright Wander Suero

The Mets announced earlier today that they’ve assigned right-hander Wander Suero outright to Triple-A. The move comes after he was designated for assignment earlier this week to accommodate the return of outfielder Jose Siri.

Suero, 33, has pitched in parts of seven MLB seasons but departs the Mets’ roster without making an appearance. The righty made his big league debut with the Nationals during the 2018 season and enjoyed a solid three-year run where he pitched to a 4.10 ERA (108 ERA+) with a 3.20 FIP and a 26.1% strikeout rate across 142 2/3 innings of work from 2018 to 2020. That stretch included the franchise’s 2019 World Series championship, which saw Suero make the postseason roster and post three scoreless appearances during the World Series against the Astros.

Unfortunately, the good times came to an abrupt halt in 2021. Suero turned in a brutal 6.33 ERA with a FIP of 5.80 in 45 appearances that year. While his 23.2% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate were hardly disastrous, he allowed a ridiculous 11 home runs in 42 2/3 innings as 19.3% of his fly balls left the yard. Between that massive spike in home runs and the fact that he stranded just 59.7% of the base runners he allowed, Suero racked up runs in a hurry and was non-tendered by the Nationals during the 2021-22 offseason.

In the years since he departed the nation’s capital, Suero has bounced around the league as a journeyman. A minor league deal with the Angels in 2022 didn’t lead Suero back to the majors, as he struggled to a 6.08 ERA at Triple-A thanks in part to the Pacific Coast League’s inflated offensive environment. He seemingly mastered the level after his first season in the PCL, however, as subsequent stints with the Dodgers and Astros yielded much better results. Posting ERAs of 3.26 and 2.66 at Triple-A for each of those clubs earned call-ups to their respective big league teams, though between the 2023 and ’24 seasons Suero posted a brutal 7.88 ERA in eight innings of work for Los Angeles and Houston.

Entering 2025, Suero signed a minor league deal with the Braves and got called up to the big leagues in July after posting a 1.50 ERA with a 33.6% strikeout rate for Triple-A Gwinnett. Suero surrendered eight runs on ten hits (three homers) and four walks while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings of work for Atlanta before being designated for assignment earlier this month. The Mets claimed him off waivers to offer some bullpen depth, but optioned him to Triple-A before he could make an MLB appearance and designated him for assignment shortly thereafter.

Assuming Suero accepts his outright assignment, he’ll finish the year at Triple-A for the Mets and have the opportunity to elect minor league free agency this offseason if not added back to the 40-man roster. In free agency, the right-hander figures to continue getting attention on minor league deals given his dominant results at Triple-A in recent years, and he’ll continue to search for an organization that can help him get back to effectiveness at the big league level. Suero has a previous outright on his resume and could also choose to elect free agency early and get a head start on the open market, if he so chooses.