Cubs Exploring Early Market For Starting Pitching
2:29pm: Levine quickly walked back his report, citing a Cubs source in adding that while the team has indeed been exploring the rotation market at large, they’ve yet to have specific discussions with the Mets regarding Peralta.
2:10pm: The Cubs, with starters Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd and Justin Steele all on the injured list (and Horton done for the season), have inquired with the struggling Mets about the potential availability of right-hander Freddy Peralta, reports Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.
The Mets have not yet shown a willingness to seriously entertain offers on Peralta, per the report, but the early interest is nonetheless somewhat notable. It shows that the Cubs are taking a proactive approach to seeking rotation help and points to some interest in Peralta, specifically, if the Mets can’t turn their season around and eventually concede to selling off some pieces. Granted, that much could more or less have been assumed; any contending team would have interest in Peralta if the Mets made him available, and Cubs skipper Craig Counsell knows Peralta especially well from the pair’s time together in Milwaukee.
Early interest on the Cubs’ behalf speaks to the current positions of both clubs. The Cubs (26-12) are in a three-way tie with the Yankees and Braves for the game’s best record. However, they lost Horton to Tommy John surgery last month. More recently, ace Justin Steele had a setback while rehabbing from his own UCL procedure, performed last April. He’s now expected to be sidelined beyond the All-Star break. Earlier this week, the Cubs announced that Boyd had suffered a partial meniscus tear that required surgery. He’s expected to be down around six weeks, but that’s only a rough timeframe. A more concrete timetable will be established as he progresses through rehab.
The Cubs’ rotation is currently being led by a resurgent Shota Imanaga, who looks much more like the 2024 version of himself than the 2025 version. Righties Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, Ben Brown and Colin Rea round out the group. It’s still a serviceable quintet, but the Cubs have lost several of their top arms and would be in dire straits with another prominent injury. Depth options include Javier Assad and recent waiver pickup Doug Nikhazy. Prospects Jordan Wicks, Jaxon Wiggins, Brody McCullough and Brandon Birdsell are all on the injured list as well (Wicks in the majors, the others in the minors).
Given those injuries, it’s only natural for the Cubs to be poking around, even if the trade market isn’t likely to really gain momentum for two and a half months or so. Similarly, it’s natural for contending clubs to be taking the Mets’ temperature as they stare up from not just the NL East cellar but the MLB cellar with a 14-23 record. They’re currently tied with the Giants for the worst record in baseball, and only five clubs have a worse run differential than the Mets’ -28.
Though the Mets’ season is on life support before we’re even into mid-May, it’s not especially surprising to hear that they’re not willing to begin considering making aggressive sell-side trades at this time. Poor as their play has been, the Mets are “only” six and a half games back of a Wild Card spot. The National League standings (all of baseball so far, really) are quite top-heavy. The 21-17 Pirates hold the final Wild Card spot at present. Even an 18-20 Nationals club is only three games back. The Mets’ odds of reaching the postseason have obviously plummeted, but there’s still 77% of the season left to play. It’s sensible to wait until at least next month to see if they can turn their fortunes around.
The Mets don’t necessarily need to surge back above .500 or even close that entire 6.5-game gap in the interim. If they’ve moved closer to .500 and picked up a few games in the standings a month from now, they’ll likely wait until July to make any decisions on their deadline approach. Conversely, if they slide further and find themselves 10 to 12 games back, they might consider jumping the market to try to get a strong return for some of their more marketable trade assets — Peralta standing as the most obvious among them.
The 29-year-old Peralta (30 next month) was acquired from the Brewers in an offseason deal sending righty Brandon Sproat and infield/outfield prospect Jett Williams back to Milwaukee. His connection to Counsell is of some anecdotal note but probably shouldn’t be overemphasized. Counsell isn’t the one making the call on any trade scenarios, and his familiarity with Peralta is a nice silver lining but probably doesn’t substantially intensify any interest from the Cubs.
Peralta has gotten out to a fine start, tossing 43 1/3 innings with a 3.12 ERA, a 23.2% strikeout rate and a 9.7% walk rate. His average fastball is down about a mile per hour. He’s lost five percentage points on his strikeout rate but only a half percentage point on his swinging-strike rate. Peralta is inducing grounders at a career-high 43.7% rate and doing a nice job avoiding hard contact (87.6 mph average exit velocity, 4.1% barrel rate). He was tagged for four runs in five innings during his Mets debut but hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since, compiling a 2.58 ERA in that time.
Peralta is earning $8MM this season after the Brewers picked up the second club option on an early-career extension (and subsequently traded him to New York). He’ll be a free agent for the first time at season’s end. The Mets reportedly had interest in extending him this spring, but he’s said to have preferred a seven- or eight-year, long-term deal — rather than the shorter-term but higher-annual-value deal formats on which the Mets tend to focus for pitchers.
With regard to rental players of this nature, the general thinking is that a team doesn’t have to move the player at the trade deadline if he’s a clear candidate to receive and reject a qualifying offer. Peralta is a slam dunk to do so. However, while a lower-payroll team might stand to gain a compensatory pick after the first round of the draft (i.e. in the 30 to 35 range), the Mets are in a different boat as a luxury tax payor. Their compensatory pick for Peralta turning down a QO and signing elsewhere would come after the fourth round. It’s a much lower bar to clear in trade talks, and the paltry nature of that compensation might prompt the team to more actively seek a trade in a couple months, given that any return should vastly outpace a pick in the low 130s.
Of course, all of this hinges on whether the Mets can go on a run that bolsters their playoff hopes. If they can do so, there’s a good chance Peralta won’t be available at all and that the Mets will instead look to add to the roster. That increasingly feels like a long shot, but we clearly have yet to reach the point of the season where they’re making such big-picture decisions. For now, the primary takeaways should be that the Cubs are actively looking around for arms and that the Mets, brutal as their start has been, will continue to exercise patience in the near term.
Mets, Cionel Pérez Agree To Minor League Deal
The Mets and left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The Octagon client will presumably head to Triple-A Syracuse once the deal is official.
Pérez opened the season in the division-rival Nationals’ bullpen. He signed a minor league deal in free agency but won a roster spot with seven shutout spring innings. He allowed only two hits and a walk during Grapefruit League play and punched out seven batters along the way.
The good vibes for Pérez didn’t last long. He tossed a scoreless frame in his Nats debut but then surrendered runs in each of his next three appearances. He struggled on and off for the next month before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and rejecting an outright assignment in favor of free agency earlier this week. Pérez wrapped up his five-week Nationals stint with a 6.19 ERA and more walks (11) than strikeouts (nine) through 16 frames. It’s the second straight ugly year for Pérez, who had a nice 2022-24 run in Baltimore but was tagged for 20 runs in 21 2/3 innings as an Oriole last year.
Pérez, 30, originally signed with the Astros in 2017 after defecting from his native Cuba. He scuffled through some rocky seasons in Houston and Cincinnati before breaking out with the 2022 Orioles. From 2022-24 in Baltimore, Pérez notched a 3.12 ERA with a 20.2% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate. He picked up 57 holds and six saves during that solid run.
Pérez has never had great command, but he kept his walk rate at a manageable level during that Orioles peak. The walks and hit batters have begun to pile back up over the past few seasons. He’s given out a base on balls to 13.5% of his opponents dating back to 2024 and has plunked another seven hitters and tossed nine wild pitches in the process. On the plus side, he did add a bit of life back to his heater during his short time in Washington, bumping his average fastball back north of 96 mph (96.2); he averaged 96.6 mph from 2021-25 before dipping to 95.5 mph last year.
The Mets rank eighth in the majors in bullpen ERA, but not because of the free agent additions they brought into the fold. Both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have struggled in the fist several weeks of the season (albeit while posting more encouraging rate stats than their ERAs would suggest). Tobias Myers, Huascar Brazoban, Brooks Raley and David Peterson — who’s moved into the ‘pen at least temporarily after struggling in the rotation — all have earned run averages south of 2.50. Craig Kimbrel, who signed a minor league deal, has allowed three runs in 7 1/3 innings while setting down 30% of his opponents on strikes.
Raley, Peterson and former starter Sean Manaea currently give Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza three options from the left side, though Manaea hasn’t pitched well. The Mets are also hoping to have A.J. Minter back soon. He’s nearing the end of a minor league rehab window and has held opponents to one earned run in 7 2/3 innings as he makes his way back from last May’s hip surgery. There’s no dire need for left-handed relief help in the Mets organization, but there’s also no harm in taking a low-cost look at a 30-year-old with a 96 mph heater who was a quality setup option for the Orioles not long ago.
Carl Edwards Jr. Elects Free Agency
Veteran righty Carl Edwards Jr. elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. He’d been designated for assignment by the Mets on Thursday.
Edwards had a brief stint on the active roster, pitching twice over six days. He showed well in that limited look, striking out 11 across six innings of one-run ball. Edwards issued four walks but only allowed three hits. He got swinging strikes at a massive 17.2% rate.
Those six innings matched his MLB workload last season, divided over four games between the Rangers and Angels. He failed to record an out in his lone MLB appearance in 2024. Edwards hasn’t had an extended look at the big league level since he was a member of the Nationals three years ago.
He has continued to bounce around the league via a series of minor league contracts. Edwards has been a reliever for the majority of his career but started four games for Triple-A Syracuse before the Mets called him up. He worked multiple innings in both of his MLB appearances. He should find a new minor league deal, perhaps returning to the Mets, within the coming days.
Mets Select Vidal Brujan, Designate Eric Wagaman For Assignment
The Mets are filling their void at shortstop with Vidal Brujan, who had his contract selected ahead of Sunday’s game against the Angels. The club announced first baseman Eric Wagaman has been designated for assignment to clear a 40-man spot for Brujan. Infielder Ronny Mauricio was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured thumb, opening up room on the big-league club.
Brujan bounced around this offseason, landing with the Mets after getting DFAed by the Twins and then the Braves. He met the same fate with New York after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot, but snuck through waivers this time. The 28-year-old had a 62 wRC+ in 24 games at Triple-A Syracuse.
It’s been several years, but Brujan was once a top prospect in the Rays’ system. He debuted with Tampa Bay in 2021 and spent parts of three seasons with the club. Brujan failed to provide much more than defensive versatility and a bit of speed during his time as a Ray. He was dealt to the Marlins in a small trade in November 2023. Miami gave the infielder his longest look to date in the majors. Brujan slashed .222/.303/.319 in a career-high 278 plate appearances in 2024.
Brujan has major league experience at all four infield positions and all three outfield spots. He’s even made four appearances on the mound. The Mets need him in the infield, specifically at shortstop, and he’s been solid there. Brujan has accrued 4 Defensive Runs Saved in 363 1/3 MLB innings at the position. He posted 2 DRS in his short stint with Atlanta last season. The Mets are without star shortstop Francisco Lindor for the foreseeable future as he deals with a calf strain. Mauricio was set to take over, but now he’s injured himself.
It’s a tough blow for Mauricio, who’s also a former prospect of note. The 25-year-old didn’t make the team out of Spring Training, but made a brief cameo in early April. He came back up after the Lindor injury and assumed the everyday shortstop gig. Mauricio launched his first home run of the season on Friday. He had another hit on Saturday, an infield single that loaded the bases in a tie game. Mauricio dove headfirst into the bag on the play, resulting in the thumb injury.
Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters, including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, that Mauricio is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Bo Bichette slid over to shortstop yesterday after Mauricio was removed, with Brett Baty moving to third base. The former Blue Jays shortstop has played 17 innings at the position this season.
The Mets picked up Wagaman off waivers from the Twins earlier this week. He was bumped up to the big-league squad on Thursday after Luis Robert Jr. hit the injured list. Wagaman was sent right back down on Friday, with recently claimed Andy Ibáñez joining the club.
Wagaman briefly debuted with the Angels in 2024. He signed with the Marlins heading into 2025 and stumbled into a full-time gig at first base. Wagaman posted an underwhelming 85 wRC+ in 140 games with Miami. He struck out at a below-average rate and chipped in four steals, but didn’t provide the power typically associated with corner infielders, with just nine home runs and a .128 ISO. Wagaman posted a -1 DRS across 862 1/3 innings at the cold corner. The Mets have five days to trade Wagaman or place him on waivers. Wagaman is still in the first of his three minor league option years, which may encourage another team to submit a claim or work out a trade.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Mets Sign Luis Torrens To Two-Year Contract Extension
The Mets and catcher Luis Torrens have agreed to a two-year, $11.5MM contract extension, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon. The deal breaks down as $5.75MM in each of the 2027 and 2028 seasons, as per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, plus another $2MM is available in bonuses. Torrens is represented by Octagon.
Torrens was set to become a free agent at season’s end, but the new deal will keep him in Queens through the 2028 season. Today is Torrens’ 30th birthday, so landing the first multi-year contract of his nine-year career in the majors is quite the present for the veteran catcher. Acquired in a cash transaction from the Yankees in May 2024, Torrens has hit .225/.281/.347 over 444 plate appearances and 152 games in a Mets uniform.
Francisco Alvarez‘s injury-plagued 2025 season opened the door for Torrens to receive a lot of regular playing time. Torrens’ 92 games played in 2025 was the second-highest total of his career, after his 108 appearances with the Mariners in 2021. Over Torrens’ other seven seasons in the majors, however, he played in only 221 games, limited to backup or part-time duty.
The $11.5MM price tag may seem steep for a light-hitting backup catcher, yet Torrens is also one of baseball’s better defensive backstops. Torrens was a finalist for NL Gold Glove honors at the catching position in 2025, with Statcast crediting him with +11 Catching Runs for his excellent framing and outstanding ability to gun down baserunners. Since the start of the 2024 season, Torrens has thrown out 37 of 84 baserunners attempting to steal.
While Torrens’ extension pales in comparison to the other big contracts on the Mets’ books, it does represent another notable outlay given the team’s luxury tax situation. Because this will be New York’s fifth straight season exceeding the highest level of tax penalization, the club is paying a 110% levy on any new spending, so Torrens’ contract comes with a $12.65MM tax bill. Given how badly the Mets have struggled in 2026, the team could be deadline sellers, but it remains to be seen how much (if any) payroll reduction might take place that could impact their tax status to any great extent.
Stearns: No Plans To Make Managerial Change
The Mets are out to an awful start, which is a situation that often puts a manager in the hot seat. However, president of baseball operations David Stearns downplayed the likelihood of manager Carlos Mendoza getting the sack. “We know our record is not what we want, and we know we are capable of more,” Stearns told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change.”
The spotlight seemed to pivot to Mendoza in the past week when manager firing season began. The Red Sox got things started by canning Alex Cora last weekend, giving the interim job to Chad Tracy. The Phillies followed suit by letting Rob Thomson go. That job was offered to Cora but he declined, so Don Mattingly has taken over on an interim basis.
Like the Red Sox and Phillies, the Mets came into the 2026 season with every intention of contending but have fallen flat in the early going. Despite having the second-highest payroll in baseball, behind the Dodgers, the Mets have the worst record in baseball at 10-21.
How much blame lies at the feet of the manager in such situations is something that has been debated throughout baseball history and that will surely continue to be the case. A skipper certainly does make some decisions that impact results, such as setting the lineup and making pitching changes, but how much those things can actually impact the win-loss is debatable. Some feel a manager’s job as a strategist is essential while others feel that role is overblown and a skipper is more about being a motivational clubhouse leader.
In the case of the Mets, one could take either side of the debate. As a team, the Mets are hitting .227/.289/.342 this year. That results in a wRC+ of 80, indicating the entire team is 20% below league average. They’re the worst team in the majors in that category. Eight guys on the team have taken at least 70 plate appearances, a group that doesn’t include Juan Soto since he spent time on the IL. Of those eight, Francisco Alvarez is the team leader with a 104 wRC+. Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Brett Baty and Carson Benge are all below 70.
The pitching is a bit better but still not great. Their 4.17 earned run average is very middle of the pack, putting them 15th out of the 30 teams in the majors. David Peterson, Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga have each posted ERAs north of 6.00 in samples of 20 innings or more. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver were supposed to be the lockdown bullpen arms but Williams has an ERA of 8.00 and Weaver is at 6.00.
An endless debate could be had about what role Mendoza plays in those numbers. One side could argue a manager should find ways to wring better results from his players. The other camp could say the manager can only do so much if the players aren’t performing. Stearns has been consistent in his viewpoint. “I think Mendy’s doing a very good job,” Stearns said two weeks ago, per SNY Mets. “I think Mendy is putting players in position to succeed and we need to go out and play better.” Today’s comments echo those.
It will be unwelcome news for those who want heads to roll but it seems the Mets don’t view the manager as the key issue, at least for now. If the struggles continue, it’s possible the club’s desire to make a change will grow.
Mendoza is in the final guaranteed year of his three-year contract. They won 89 games in 2024 and went to the NLCS. Last year, they were on an even better pace for most of the year. They were 62-47 through July but had an awful August and September, going 21-32. That put them at 83-79 and just outside the playoff picture. Mendoza’s deal has a club option for 2027. The events of the coming months will determine if that seems likely to be picked up.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images
Mets Claim Andy Ibáñez
The Mets have claimed infielder/outfielder Andy Ibáñez off waivers from the Athletics, per an announcement from the A’s. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR reported the move prior to the official announcement. The A’s designated him for assignment a few days ago. The Mets have an open 40-man spot after designating Carl Edwards Jr. for assignment earlier today. Ibáñez is out of options and will need to jump onto the active roster, so they will need to make a corresponding move in that regard when he reports to the team.
Ibáñez, 33, is a utility guy who provides defensive versatility. His offense has been mercurial and is currently at a low ebb. He had solid seasons in 2021 and 2023, with a swoon in 2022. Over the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, he slashed .240/.297/.355 for the Tigers. That production led to an 85 wRC+, indicating he was 15% worse than league average. Detroit could have retained him via arbitration but non-tendered him instead, sending him to free agency.
Teams around the league still believe in his potential. The Dodgers signed him to a one-year, $1.2MM deal in January. The designated him for assignment a couple of weeks later, which may seem odd, but was by design.
Ibáñez has just over three years of service time. Players with at least three years of service have the right to reject outright assignments after clearing waivers. However, if they have less than five, they have to walk away from their salary commitments. The Dodgers were hoping that the contract was enough for other teams to pass on him. Once he passed through waivers, he wouldn’t want to walk away from the $1.2MM, so he would surely stick around as non-roster depth.
The A’s interrupted that plan, claiming him back in February. He stuck around for a few weeks but hit .118/.167/.118 in 18 plate appearances. Despite that poor showing in recent weeks, the Mets are going to take a shot on him.
Ibáñez will at least provide some flexibility off the bench. He has experience at all four infield spots and the outfield corners. His shortstop work consists of just nine innings but he has over 1,000 innings at second base and almost 800 at third, with good numbers to boot. Combining that with improved offense would be ideal but it’s been a few years. His most recent above-average offensive season was 2023, when he hit .264/.312/.433 for a 103 wRC+.
The Mets have operated with narrow infield flexibility for much of this year. They opened the campaign with Francisco Lindor at shortstop, Marcus Semien at second and Bo Bichette at third. First base has been shared by a rotation of Jorge Polanco, Mark Vientos, Jared Young and Brett Baty. with Young and Baty also playing some outfield. The Mets have mostly been playing without a bench infielder. Bichette was effectively the backup for Lindor, while guys like Baty or Vientos could cover third for Bichette. Baty could also cover second if Semien missed time.
The picture has been shuffled in recent weeks. Lindor, Polanco and Young have all hit the IL recently, as has outfielder Luis Robert Jr. That leaves the Mets with Ronny Mauricio at short, while Bichette and Semien still hold their positions. Mauricio has struck out in nine of his 22 plate appearances so far this year. The Mets called up infielder/outfielder Eric Wagaman today when Robert hit the IL but Wagaman is more of a corner guy. Ibáñez gives them some more cover in the middle infield. Wagaman has options and could be sent back out when Ibáñez joins the team.
Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images
Mets Place Luis Robert Jr. On Injured List
11:30am: Robert is receiving an epidural injection and will be reevaluated in a week to 10 days, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. The Mets don’t currently expect him to miss too much more than the minimum.
9:20am: The Mets have formally placed Robert on the 10-day injured list due to a lumbar disc herniation. Corner infielder Eric Wagaman is up from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster.
9:12am: The Mets are expected to place center fielder Luis Robert Jr. on the 10-day injured list today, reports SNY’s Chelsea Janes. Robert has been battling back discomfort for several days and underwent an MRI yesterday, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo noted.
Trips to the injured list are nothing new for Robert, a star-caliber outfielder whose health hasn’t allowed him to regularly reach his sky-high ceiling. The 28-year-old raked at a .264/.314/.542 clip and belted 38 homers to go along with 20 steals and plus-plus defense with the White Sox back in 2023. He’s only played in 234 of 354 possible games since that time (66.1%). That 2023 season is the only time Robert has reached even 450 plate appearances or exceeded 110 games played in a single season. (He did play in 56 of 60 possible games as a rookie in the shortened 2020 season.)
Along with that decline in health came a downturn in performance. Robert suffered an MCL sprain at the end of September in 2023 and a hip flexor strain early in 2024, the latter costing him about two months of action. When he was on the field in ’24, he stumbled through the least-productive season of his career, slashing just .224/.278/.364 with a career-worst 33.2% strikeout rate.
It was more of the same to begin the 2025 season, though Robert caught fire in early June after the Sox sat him for a few days to refocus his mechanics in the batter’s box. Robert took a few games to find his stroke even after that little breather, but he went on a tear thereafter, slashing .282/.344/.471 (125 wRC+) in nearly 200 plate appearances … before again returning to the injured list — this time due to his second hamstring strain of the ’25 campaign.
Along the way, the White Sox fielded trade interest in Robert, but they opted to hang onto him after not finding offers to their liking. They exercised the first of two $20MM club options on Robert to begin the offseason, and several months later the Mets landed him in a trade sending infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league righty Truman Pauley back to Chicago.
Robert is currently mired in a 2-for-19 slump, dropping what was a solid .258/.372/.379 batting line to a .224/.327/.329 output that checks in about 7% worse than league-average overall, by measure of wRC+. The dip in production coincides with the Mets beginning to sit Robert on occasion about a week and a half ago. Manager Carlos Mendoza eventually revealed that Robert has been dealing with back discomfort. Last night’s MRI, it seems, did not produce favorable results.
A formal diagnosis isn’t clear. The Mets have not yet announced an IL placement and thus have not revealed the nature of Robert’s ailment. Robert last appeared in a game on April 26, so his IL stint can be backdated to April 27 — the maximum three days allowed. That technically makes him eligible to return in just a week’s time, though his actual timetable will naturally hinge on the specific injury that’s been plaguing him.
Robert joins Francisco Lindor and Jorge Polanco on the shelf. That’s a third of the Mets’ starting lineup sidelined. With Robert out of the equation for the time being, the Mets’ options in center field include veteran Tyrone Taylor and rookie Carson Benge (who’s been their primary right fielder but has four games in center this year). Recently signed veteran Austin Slater has a fair bit of center field experience but hasn’t played there this season and has only logged 63 frames at the position since Opening Day 2024.
Down in Triple-A, the Mets have 2022 No. 75 overall pick Nick Morabito, who’s already on the 40-man roster (but has yet to debut) and is slashing .262/.382/.452 with four homers, four doubles and six steals. Morabito entered the season ranked 11th among Mets farmhands at Baseball America. He’s the Mets’ No. 12 prospect at MLB.com and No. 19 over at FanGraphs. Scouting reports peg him as a plus runner and center field defender with well below-average power.
Mets Designate Carl Edwards Jr. For Assignment
The Mets announced Thursday that reliever Carl Edwards Jr. has been designated for assignment. They also confirmed the previously reported IL placement for center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who’s been diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation. Righty Austin Warren and recently claimed corner infielder Eric Wagaman are up from Triple-A Syracuse in a pair of corresponding moves.
Edwards, 34, signed a minor league deal back in December. The longtime reliever opened the season as a starter in the Mets’ Syracuse rotation but was added to the big league bullpen earlier this month. He’s pitched well, holding opponents to one run in six innings. Edwards has punched out a whopping 44% of his opponents (11 of 25) but has also dished out four free passes already (16%).
A key member of the Cubs’ bullpen from 2016-18, Edwards has bounced around the league in the eight years since. The Mets are Edwards’ ninth club in the majors, and this year’s six innings already tie his highest single-season workload since 2023.
Edwards also had a productive two-year stint with the Nats in 2022-23, but his stops with the other seven clubs for which he’s pitched have typically been fleeting. In addition to the Cubs and Nationals, he’s suited up for the Padres, Mariners, Braves, Blue Jays, Angels and Rangers. However, Edwards hasn’t pitched more than six innings for any of those teams. Overall, he carries a career 3.51 ERA in the majors, though most of his production came during that initial run with the Cubs, when he had about three extra miles per hour on his fastball over his current 92.5 mph average velocity.
The Mets will have five days to place Edwards on waivers, release him, or trade him. He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment to the minors even if he clears waivers, so barring a minor trade for cash, he’s likely to end up a free agent. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so his DFA will be resolved in no more than seven days.
Tommy Pham Elects Free Agency
Outfielder Tommy Pham has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse. The veteran has exercised his right to reject the assignment and elect free agency. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reported the news.
Pham, 38, signed a minor league deal with the Mets in March. He was added to the roster in mid-April. He got into nine games and was sent to the plate 14 times. He struck out seven times, walked once and did not get a hit. The Mets pounced on Austin Slater a couple of days after the Marlins let him go. Pham was the roster casualty for that signing. As a veteran with many years of experience, Pham has the right to reject outright assignments and has exercised that right.
He’ll now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity. He’ll most likely be limited to minor league offers. In the most recent offseason, he lingered unsigned until late into March, signing on March 26th. His recent performance with the Mets surely didn’t do anything to improve his stock.
Though Pham is in his late-30s, he was still providing offense close to league average with the Pirates last year. He hit ten home runs and drew walks at an 11.1% clip, leading to a .245/.330/.370 line and 94 wRC+. That’s not too inspiring but he did have a torrid stretch in the summer. He had a brutal .207/.280/.237 line through the end of May but then slashed .304/.382/.495 from the start of June to the end of August, before he scuffled through September with a .143/.270/.270 line.
Coming into 2026, Pham expressed some hope that a treatment to address plantar fasciitis could improve his game after struggling with the condition in recent years. That hasn’t panned out yet but he also didn’t really get a good chance to get into form. As mentioned, he remained unsigned long enough to miss spring training. The Mets put him into five Single-A games before calling him up and he didn’t get into a groove. Though he may only get minor league offers, it’s theoretically possible that some regular reps could position him for another summer surge.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images