Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mets Rumors

Mets Sign Jose Ureña To Minor League Deal

By | at

10:52am: Ureña’s deal has a $2MM base salary and another $750K available via incentives, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

8:20am: Veteran right-hander Jose Ureña popped up at Mets camp this morning and tells Newsday’s Tim Healey that he’s signed a minor league deal with the club. He’ll join their big league camp for the remainder of spring training. Ureña is repped by Premier Talent Sports & Entertainment.

The 33-year-old Ureña adds some non-roster depth to a Mets rotation that’s already been hit by a pair of spring injuries. Left-hander Sean Manaea has an oblique strain that’ll likely prompt a season-opening IL stint, though he could return by mid-April. Right-hander Frankie Montas has a more significant injury — a lat strain that’s shut him down from throwing for more than a month. He’s likely looking at a mid-May return in a best-case scenario.

Ureña spent the 2024 season with the Rangers, working primarily out of the bullpen but also making nine starts over the course of the season. He totaled 109 innings with a solid 3.80 earned run average, though not all of his numbers looked quite so sharp.

Ureña’s 15.1% strikeout rate was among the lowest in the league, and his 8.4% walk rate was roughly average. He notched a strong 50.1% ground-ball rate and kept the ball in the yard nicely enough (1.07 HR/9), but metrics like FIP (4.62) and SIERA (4.66) felt like he had a fair bit of good fortune to reach that more impressive ERA mark. Ureña’s .273 average on balls in play was a bit shy of the .289 mark he carried into the season, and his 75% strand rate was also higher than both league average (72%) and his career mark prior to 2024 (69.5%).

On the whole, Ureña has a 4.76 ERA in 948 1/3 big league innings. He had some stretches early in his career where he delivered solid midrotation results for the Marlins but has since been hit hard more often than not as he’s moved into journeyman status. His solid 2024 run in Texas was the first time since 2018 that he’s posted an ERA south of 5.00.

Ureña isn’t going to jump right into the Mets’ pitching plans, but there’s also little harm in seeing if a veteran arm coming of a nice rebound effort can sustain some of his production — especially early on while the rest of the pitching staff is a bit banged up. Even with Montas and Manaea ailing, the Mets have signaled they plan to stick with in-house arms, by and large. Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill give the Mets six experienced arms on which to rely. Top prospect Brandon Sproat could join the mix midseason.

As such, if Ureña is to make the club, it’d likely be as a swingman — but it’s equally or more likely that he’ll opt back into the market if he doesn’t make the club. As an Article XX(b) free agent (i.e. six-plus years MLB service, finished the prior season on a major league roster/injured list), Ureña will have a trio of uniform opt-out dates on his contract: five days before the season (March 22), May 1 and June 1.

MLBTR Podcast: Atlanta’s Pitching Depth, Iglesias, Jobe, Castillo, And More!

By | at

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors for a mailbag episode. We spent the entire show answering questions from listeners, including…

  • Can the Braves seriously go into the season with this rotation depth? (1:50)
  • Could the Braves add to the bullpen before the season starts? (9:25)
  • Why is David Robertson not signed? (13:00)
  • Could the Mets and Jose Iglesias reunite on a one-year, $5MM deal with a vesting option? (17:10)
  • Should the Cubs have signed Jose Iglesias instead of Justin Turner? (24:35)
  • Could there be a battle forming for the final rotation spots for the Tigers between Casey Mize, Kenta Maeda and Jackson Jobe? (30:35)
  • Are the Mariners waiting for a pitching injury on another team to trade Luis Castillo? (38:05)
  • When a team like the Dodgers does significant deferrals, what year’s payroll does the money go on? (43:50)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Mets Acquire Alexander Canario From Cubs

By | at

The Mets acquired outfielder Alexander Canario from the Cubs for cash considerations, the teams announced. New York placed Nick Madrigal on the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot. Chicago had designated the 24-year-old Canario for assignment last week as the corresponding move for the Justin Turner signing. He’s out of options, so he needed to break camp or be made available to other teams via trade or waivers.

It was moderately surprising that the Cubs cut Canario loose. They acquired the righty-hitting outfielder alongside Caleb Kilian in the 2021 deadline deal that sent Kris Bryant to the Giants. Canario popped 37 home runs during his first full minor league season in the Chicago system. Baseball America slotted him among the organization’s top 15 prospects entering both the 2023 and ’24 campaigns.

This winter, BA dropped him to 26th in the Cubs system. Canario still draws praise for his raw power and bat speed, but his pure hitting ability has been an issue throughout his minor league career. He has fanned in 26.3% of his plate appearances over seven minor league seasons. He went down on strikes in 30.4% of his 283 trips to the plate with Triple-A Iowa last year.

Canario drilled 18 homers in half a season’s worth of playing time, leading to a strong enough .243/.336/.514 slash in the minors. The Cubs called him up a few times but only got him into 15 games. He hit .280/.357/.440 with one homer in 28 trips to the dish, though he struck out 11 times while drawing only two walks. It seems the Cubs viewed Canario as a potential Quad-A type whose hit tool would be exposed if they gave him consistent major league run.

As a corner outfielder, Canario has limited defensive value. Baseball America credits him with plus arm strength but below-average range, suggesting he profiles as a bench bat. The Cubs didn’t have much room for that type of player. They have Kyle Tucker and Ian Happ in the corner outfield with Seiya Suzuki lined up for the majority of designated hitter work.

It’s tough to see Canario sticking on New York’s major league roster for similar reasons. The Mets already have five outfielders who are locks for the Opening Day roster if healthy: Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri and Starling Marte. They have Jesse Winker at designated hitter. While they’ve entertained trade possibilities on Marte, it doesn’t appear they’ve made much traction in dealing him. The Mets only have a utility infield spot up for grabs in their current bench mix. Madrigal was the favorite for that role until he sustained a fractured left shoulder in yesterday’s Spring Training game.

Unless they lose someone else to injury over the next month, the Mets are unlikely to have room for Canario to break camp. There’s a decent chance they’ll try to get him through waivers later in the spring.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported the trade before the team announcement.

Mets Remain Unlikely To Pursue Jose Iglesias After Madrigal Injury

By | at

The Mets’ infield depth took a hit yesterday, as Nick Madrigal suffered a fracture in his left shoulder. That’ll rule the former fourth overall pick out for quite some time and leaves the club in need of a utility infielder.

Nevertheless, Tim Healey of Newsday reports that the Mets remain unlikely to circle back to Jose Iglesias. President of baseball operations David Stearns downplayed the possibility of re-signing Iglesias two weeks ago. While it was fair to wonder if the Madrigal injury changed the thought process, they’d face the same roster inflexibility that deterred them from a reunion in the first place.

In his earlier comments, Stearns pointed to a desire to have someone with minor league options taking the final bench spot. Iglesias, a player with well over five years of service time, cannot be sent to the minors without his approval. Madrigal still has an option remaining. He’s 85 days away from crossing the five-year service threshold himself and will add to that tally while he’s on the major league injured list. If he spends the first three months of the season on the IL, the Mets could no longer option him either.

The Mets have three bench spots ticketed to players who cannot be sent down: backup catcher Luis Torrens and outfielders Starling Marte and Jose Siri (or Tyrone Taylor if Siri plays center field). Aside from starting catcher Francisco Alvarez, the backup infielder is the only spot where the Mets can shuffle through position players unless they went to a 12-man pitching staff.

Iglesias was an excellent find for New York last year on a minor league deal. The Mets selected his contract at the end of May. The veteran shortstop hit .337/.381/.448 across 291 plate appearances while emerging as a clubhouse and fan favorite. Iglesias is a career .283 hitter, but his offensive approach (plenty of contact with minimal power and almost no walks) isn’t held in high esteem by most of today’s front offices. Teams surely do not expect him to repeat last year’s huge production, which came behind a .382 average on balls in play that is nearly 70 points higher than his career mark.

Madrigal’s injury does leave the Mets with an imperfect set of options for their final roster spot. There’s probably not a ton of playing time available for whomever that will be. Neither Francisco Lindor nor Pete Alonso take many days off. Mark Vientos will be at third base almost every day. There could be a few at-bats at second base, but Jeff McNeil had a big second half to earn the majority of the playing time there.

The Mets will want their utility player to be capable of playing up the middle, occasionally at shortstop. Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuna are the best defensive options on the 40-man roster, but they’re among the organization’s more talented young hitters. It’s probably preferable for them to play regularly at Triple-A Syracuse than to get scattered big league reps. (Mauricio might open the season on the IL as he finishes his rehab from 2023 ACL surgery.)

The playing time caveat is also true of Brett Baty, who is a corner bat anyways. Jared Young is the only other infielder on the 40-man roster. He’s mostly a first baseman/corner outfielder. While he has some second base experience, he isn’t an option at shortstop. Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos are in camp as non-roster invitees, but Walton is also out of options, meaning the Mets couldn’t send him back down without putting him on waivers if they call him up at any point. That might bode well for De Los Santos, an offseason waiver claim whom the Mets outrighted off the 40-man as the corresponding move for the Madrigal signing.

Madrigal Diagnosed With Shoulder Fracture; Manaea To Begin Season On IL With Oblique Strain

By | at

Mets infielder Nick Madrigal has been diagnosed with a fracture in his left shoulder after undergoing an MRI, manager Carlos Mendoza announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). He’ll be out “for a long time,” per Mendoza, though a formal timeline isn’t yet established. Madrigal is headed for a CT scan for further evaluation. Mendoza also revealed that left-hander Sean Manaea has a right oblique strain that will shut him down for the next couple weeks, likely ticketing him for the injured list to begin the season (via Newsday’s Tim Healey).

Madrigal’s injury occurred while playing shortstop during yesterday’s spring contest against the Nationals. The former top prospect charged a grounder that kicked off the mound, making a barehanded play and falling to the ground as he threw to first base (video link via MLB.com). Commentary noted that Madrigal headed straight for the dugout upon getting up, so it’s clear he knew something was amiss right away. He was originally diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder, but imaging revealed the fracture that will shelve him for a considerable period.

The Mets inked Madrigal to a split major league contract that paid him at a $1.35MM rate in the majors. The former No. 4 overall pick has a minor league option remaining and might’ve been bound for Triple-A to begin the year, but he’ll presumably head to the major league 60-day IL whenever the Mets next need a roster spot instead. He wasn’t expected to have a starting role, with Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil lined up in the middle infield and Mark Vientos at third base, but a strong camp would likely have put Madrigal in line for a bench role.

Instead, the Mets will presumably tap into their upper-minors depth. Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña have all drawn top-100 fanfare at various points in recent seasons. Baty isn’t an option to back up at shortstop, however, and Mauricio is still on the mend from the ACL tear that cost him the entire 2024 season. He’s not expected to play in spring games until mid-March. Acuña, who made his big league debut late last year, seems the likeliest in-house candidate to step into Madrigal’s spot.

It’s possible that the long-term nature of the injury could prompt the Mets to look outside the organization, where fan and clubhouse favorite Jose Iglesias remains unsigned. The Mets all but announced they were moving on from Iglesias a couple weeks back, with president of baseball operations David Stearns noting a lack of roster flexibility at the time.

Signing Iglesias would give the Mets a bench full of players who cannot be optioned to Triple-A. Catcher Luis Torrens and outfielder Tyrone Taylor have both exhausted their slate of minor league options, while Starling Marte can’t be optioned without his consent — as is his right as a player with five-plus years of major league service time. Iglesias would be in that same boat. In the event of an Iglesias signing, the only position player on the Mets’ roster who could be optioned would be Francisco Alvarez, who’s obviously not at risk of being sent down.

The loss of Manaea, meanwhile, further thins out a rotation that will see Frankie Montas shelved by a lat strain to begin the season. That takes two members out of the Opening Day rotation, which now likely includes a combination of Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill. It’s not a formidable group, with health and workload questions permeating the entire staff.

That said, the Mets weren’t planning to add another starter after losing Montas to a longer-term injury than the one Manaea currently faces. Montas will likely be sidelined into mid-May at the earliest. Manaea could very plausibly return in April if he rehabs the oblique issue without any setbacks. The immediate outcry among many Mets fans on social media was to use the Manaea injury as the impetus to re-sign Jose Quintana, but Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that the Mets are still planning to stick with in-house options.

On the one hand, it’s sensible enough that a short-term Manaea absence won’t prompt what would surely be an eight-figure expenditure after factoring in luxury taxes. Signing Quintana, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn or another veteran hurler for the full season when Manaea could miss as few as three to four starts in April could be construed as an overreaction.

On the other, the Mets quite arguably didn’t do enough with their rotation this winter in the first place. Senga pitched in one game last year due to injuries. Montas’ 2023 was wiped out by shoulder surgery, and he posted a 4.84 ERA over 150 innings in last year’s return. Holmes is converting to the rotation after six years pitching exclusively as a reliever. Canning was non-tendered and has a 4.96 ERA over his past three seasons. Blackburn is a fourth/fifth starter who was limited to 75 innings by a spinal injury last year. The rotation lacks certainty even when it’s at full strength — and the Mets are a ways off from full strength as things stand.

Mets’ Nick Madrigal To Undergo MRI On Dislocated Left Shoulder

By | at

Nick Madrigal dislocated his left shoulder during today’s Spring Training split-squad game between the Mets and Nationals.  In the first inning of the game, Madrigal (who was playing shortstop) had to awkwardly adjust his body to gather a deflected ground ball, and suffered the injury after falling to the ground on the throw to first base.

The seriousness of the dislocation isn’t yet known, as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters (including SNY’s Andy Martino) that Madrigal will need to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage.  The veteran infielder will surely miss some time recovering, and a more severe dislocation could even require surgery and an early end to Madrigal’s 2025 season.

The Cubs opted to non-tender Madrigal last fall rather than pay him a projected arbitration salary of $1.9MM, and Madrigal then caught on with the Mets on a split contract.  He can earn $1.35MM if he remains on New York’s active roster, though the split nature of the deal allows the Mets to move Madrigal to Triple-A for more roster flexibility, as he has a minor league option remaining.

Between Francisco Lindor, Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, and now the re-signed Pete Alonso, the Mets’ everyday infield is pretty set, leaving Madrigal as the most experienced member of a set of players battling for backup jobs.  Martino writes that at this point, the Mets are likely to just stick with their younger infielders rather than pursue another veteran (such as fan favorite Jose Iglesias) if Madrigal does have to miss an extended amount of time.  This leaves the door open for at least one of Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuna, or Ronny Mauricio to be part of the Opening Day roster, plus Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos are also in camp on minor league deals.

Madrigal is a defensive specialist whose offense has cratered over the last three seasons, and past injuries could likely have contributed to this offensive decline.  Madrigal separated his left shoulder during the 2020 season, which led to offseason surgery.  His 2021 and 2024 seasons were both prematurely ended by injuries — a hamstring surgery and a left hand fracture, respectively.  In between, Madrigal also missed significant time during the 2022 and 2023 seasons with hamstring and groin issues.

Mets Not Planning To Add A Starter

By | at

The Mets’ rotation suffered a blow barely a week into camp when free agent acquisition Frankie Montas felt discomfort in his first bullpen session of camp. After a healthy offseason, Montas was diagnosed with a lat strain that has prompted the Mets to shut him down from throwing entirely. The team announced a no-throw period of six to eight weeks. Montas is taking a more optimistic tack, suggesting it’ll be four to six weeks. Regardless, he won’t throw at all for the majority of spring training, at which point he’ll need to build up from scratch. An absence extending into at least mid-May seems likely.

Even with that loss and a handful of notable starters still on the market, the Mets aren’t planning to add another arm to their rotation, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. While further injuries could of course change that thinking, for now the Mets plan to rely on their in-house depth while weathering their first injury of note. Additionally, the previously planned six-man rotation will now likely drop to five, manager Carlos Mendoza tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Locks for the Opening Day rotation, health permitting, include Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson and reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes. Righties Tylor Megill, Griffin Canning and Paul Blackburn will vie for the fifth spot. Megill has a minor league option remaining. Canning and Blackburn do not, and both are earning more than $4MM this season, so it’s unlikely they’d be cut loose. (That’s especially true of Canning, who signed as a free agent over the winter.) Top prospect Brandon Sproat will be in the running at some point, but he still has only 116 1/3 professional innings under his belt, with only 28 2/3 of those coming in Triple-A.

Sammon’s report dovetails with recent suggestions that the Mets aren’t likely to pursue a reunion with Jose Quintana, despite the veteran left-hander’s openness to returning to Queens. Quintana declined an offer worth more than $5.25MM from the Pirates before Pittsburgh agreed to terms with fellow left-handed veteran Andrew Heaney. While it’s not clear that decision was made in hopes of the Mets coming through with an offer of their own, it does appear to shut the door on opportunities for Quintana with either club. Beyond Quintana, veterans like Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and Spencer Turnbull are all still seeking homes.

For the Mets, any additions to the major league roster will be doubly cost prohibitive. They’re again a CBT payor in the top penalty tier, meaning any subsequent additions come with a 110% luxury tax. Signing Quintana in the $5-6MM range, for instance, would cost the team $10.5MM to $12.6MM. The Mets are already running a $331MM cash payroll, per RosterResource, which comes with nearly $67MM worth of luxury taxes.

In essence, the Mets are already paying close to $400MM total for the current roster. On the one hand, fans could argue “what’s another $10-12MM at that point?” On the other, even the sport’s wealthiest owner, Steve Cohen, surely has his limits. Plus, if things go according to plan in 2025, the Mets will be deadline buyers, presumably adding even further to that massive financial outlay. Time will tell whether the rest of the rotation group holds up through the remainder of camp — injuries abound in spring training every year — but for now, Mets fans shouldn’t hold out hope for a Quintana reunion or any other guaranteed deal to deepen the starting staff.

Quintana Declined Offer From Pirates Before Heaney Deal

By | at

The Pirates added to the back of their rotation this evening with the $5.25MM agreement with Andrew Heaney. Robert Murray of FanSided writes that the Bucs pivoted to Heaney after first making an unsuccessful push to bring Jose Quintana back.

According to Murray, the Pirates offered Quintana a stronger guarantee than the sum which they eventually agreed to pay Heaney. Quintana declined the offer. It’s not clear what kind of contract the 36-year-old southpaw is seeking. It’s unlikely that Pittsburgh would circle back after landing Heaney. Quintana and Kyle Gibson are the top two unsigned starting pitchers.

Quintana spent the first half of the 2022 season in Pittsburgh. He’d signed a $2MM deal as a buy-low free agent with a then-rebuilding Bucs club. The Pirates hit on the common hope for rebuilding teams of turning a low-cost free agent pickup into a midseason trade chip. Quintana turned in a 3.50 ERA across 20 starts in black and gold. The Bucs flipped him to the Cardinals alongside reliever Chris Stratton for righty Johan Oviedo and minor league first baseman Malcom Nuñez. Oviedo lost last season to Tommy John surgery but could find himself at the back of Derek Shelton’s starting staff this year.

A strong finish in St. Louis positioned Quintana much more strongly for his return to the market. He landed a two-year, $26MM guarantee from the Mets over the 2022-23 offseason. It turned out to be a good investment on New York’s part. While he missed a good chunk of the ’23 season, Quintana was a key rotation piece last year. He fired 170 1/3 frames of 3.75 ERA ball. He chipped in another 14 1/3 innings of 3.14 ERA ball in the postseason — including six scoreless in a winner-take-all Game 3 against Milwaukee in the Wild Card series.

Effective as Quintana was last year, the Mets haven’t seemed eager to bring him back. The New York Post’s Mike Puma reported shortly after the Frankie Montas injury that the Mets hadn’t reciprocated the veteran lefty’s eagerness for a reunion. Francys Romero suggested yesterday that the Mets, Padres and Rangers could show interest. The Padres have already added Nick Pivetta and Kyle Hart to the back of their rotation. The Rangers seem unlikely to seriously pursue Quintana unless they first offload salary in a trade, as they’re projected within $6MM of the luxury tax threshold. The Post’s Jon Heyman wrote this evening that the Mets have “limited” interest in Quintana because of concerns about his underlying numbers.

That’s presumably mostly about his lack of swing-and-miss. Quintana posted an 18.8% strikeout rate in consecutive seasons. He generated swinging strikes on only 8.5% of his offerings last year. It’s the third consecutive year in which Quintana succeeded despite middling whiff rates. He’s a quality strike-thrower who got grounders at a solid 47.4% clip and has rattled off a trio of consecutive sub-4.00 ERA showings.

Poll: Do The Mets Need Another Starter?

By | at

The Mets undeniably made the single biggest splash of the entire winter when they brought superstar slugger Juan Soto into the fold on a record-shattering $765MM deal back in December. Along with the club’s reunion with Pete Alonso and some complementary additions like Jesse Winker and Jose Siri, the Mets’ offense appears to be in a very strong place as they look to build off their NLCS appearance last year.

The same cannot be said for the rotation. Despite rumors that connected the Mets to top starters on the trade market like Garrett Crochet and Dylan Cease (as well as plenty of early speculation about the Mets as potential suitors for Corbin Burnes and Max Fried), the club took a far more measured approach to its starting staff. With Kodai Senga and David Peterson already in the fold, the club reunited with southpaw Sean Manaea in free agency while bringing in Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and Griffin Canning to replace Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and Joey Lucchesi on the depth chart.

It’s an interesting group of names, and it’s not hard to see the potential upside in those moves. Holmes becomes the latest well-regarded reliever to try his hand at starting, and success stories like Crochet, Seth Lugo, and Reynaldo Lopez offer a tantalizing glimpse at what Holmes could provide the Mets with should the move work out. Meanwhile, Montas was a well-regarded No. 2 starter as recently as three years ago, and Canning is just one year removed from being a solid back-of-the-rotation arm for the Angels.

Still, there’s plenty of very real risk involved with each of the club’s additions. Holmes could instead follow in the footsteps of less-successful rotation converts like Jordan Hicks or even A.J. Puk. Montas has struggled to stay healthy in recent years and struggled to remain effective even when he is on the mound, and Canning was arguably the single worst qualified starter in baseball last year. Even Manaea is coming off a career year that he may not be able to repeat in his age-33 season this year.

The question marks in the rotation came to a head earlier this week when it was revealed that Montas is currently suffering from a lat strain that was expected to shut him down for six to eight weeks. The veteran righty has since suggested that he’s set for just four to six weeks of no-throw, but that still suggests he may not have even begun throwing when Opening Day rolls around, at which point he’ll still need to make up for the lost preparation time caused by him missing a full spring training. It’s not at all unreasonable to suggest that the Mets will be without Montas until sometime in May. If they still intend to use a six-man rotation, that would likely mean that Senga, Manaea, Peterson, and Holmes will be joined by Canning and Paul Blackburn.

Naturally, questions have arisen about whether the club should make another addition. (MLBTR’s Steve Adams argued that the Mets hadn’t done enough with the rotation even before news of Montas’ injury.) A number of veteran starters are still available in free agency, including four who made MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents list at the outset of the offseason. A recent MLBTR Poll suggested that fans views Quintana as the best of those remaining arms, though the Mets have not been involved in his market despite interest in a reunion from the veteran southpaw’s side.

Even if the Mets aren’t enamored with the possibility of a Quintana reunion, both Andrew Heaney and Spencer Turnbull are still available and could be used either in the rotation or out of the bullpen depending on the club’s needs, affording the Mets flexibility when Montas returns. Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are among the other veteran arms still available in free agency.

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that the club’s rotation already runs six names deep even without Montas. Neither Canning nor Blackburn can be optioned — both have five-plus years of service — but righties Tylor Megill and Justin Hagenman are both on the 40-man roster and likely ticketed for Triple-A to begin the season. Top prospect Brandon Sproat will likely make his debut at some point in 2025 as well.

If the Mets don’t add anyone right now, they could look for rotation help closer to the trade deadline if it proves necessary. That would allow them to find out more about their offseason rolls of the dice on guys like Montas and Canning before deciding if they need another arm. There will also likely be a larger supply of arms available in July, as the number of sellers will increase relative to spring training, where optimism abounds throughout the league. Perhaps the risk of having to surrender an exciting young piece from their farm system to add an arm this summer makes adding depth now for nothing but money a more attractive option. Each side has its pros and cons.

Where do MLBTR readers stand on the issue? Are the Mets too light on talent in the rotation to compete with the Braves and Phillies for the NL East crown this year without another arm? Or should they stick with their internal options to open the season and reassess their starting depth at the trade deadline this summer? Have your say in the poll below:

Mets, Connor Overton Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Mets reached agreement on a deal with Connor Overton, as announced by the pitcher’s representatives at KHG Sports Management. It’s surely a minor league contract for the 31-year-old righty.

Overton pitched in the big leagues in each year between 2021-23. He split that time between the Blue Jays, Pirates and Reds. Overton started 10 of his 18 appearances and worked to a 4.85 ERA across 59 1/3 innings. He struck out a well below-average 15.7% of batters faced against a 9.5% walk rate. Cincinnati outrighted him off the 40-man roster at the end of the ’23 season. They brought him back on a minor league deal not long after he elected free agency.

An injury cost him most of last season. Overton began the year on the minor league IL and wasn’t reinstated to the Triple-A roster until early August. Opponents teed off for more than a run per inning over his 24 2/3 frames to close the year. That obviously wasn’t going to get him another MLB look from Cincinnati. Overton hit minor league free agency again at season’s end.

While last year was a disaster, Overton has a solid minor league track record. He owns a 3.87 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons. His 21.4% strikeout rate there is a little below average, while his 5.3% walk rate is excellent. Overton sits in the 90-91 MPH range on his fastball and isn’t going to overpower many hitters. He profiles as a strike-throwing depth arm with the versatility to make a few spot starts or pitch in long relief over the course of the season.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top