MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reported that left-handed reliever José Castillo has been non-tendered by the Mets, making him the club’s third and final player to suffer that fate.

New York acquired Castillo in a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks in May. He was designated by assignment on three occasions by the team, but it wasn’t until September 3 that another club in the Seattle Mariners swooped him and claimed him.

Castillo ended up appearing in 16 games for the Mets, posting a 2.35 ERA in 15 1/3 innings during that span. He also turned in three scoreless outings for the Mariners last season while posting a 11.37 ERA in 6 1/3 frames for Arizona and a 2.45 ERA over 7 1/3 innings for the Baltimore Orioles.

Baltimore placed Castillo on waivers earlier in the offseason, and the Mets brought him back by claiming him. Now, though, he’ll head to the open market.

Updated Post: Nov. 21 at 4:24 p.m. EST

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand has reported that the Mets avoided arbitration with center fielder Tyrone Taylor by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.8 million. He is entering his final year of club control and is set to become a free agent after the 2026 campaign.

Taylor arrived in New York alongside right-handed pitcher Adrian Houser in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in December 2023 for right-handed pitching prospect Coleman Crow. The 31-year-old slashed .248/.299/.401 with seven home runs and 11 stolen bases across 130 games for the Mets in 2024.

In 2025, Taylor batted .223/.279/.319 with two homers and 12 stolen bases while ranking among the best defensive center fielders in the league with seven Defensive Runs Saved and four Outs Above Average. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring strain on September 2 before returning to the Mets on September 24.

Updated Post: Nov. 21 at 12:24 p.m. EST

According to The Athletic’s Will Sammon, the Mets are non-tendering right-handed pitcher Max Kranick ahead of Friday’s deadline to tender contracts to eligible arbitration and pre-arbitration players for the 2026 season.

Kranick was entering his first year of arbitration after accruing three years of service time, but he’ll now hit the free agent market. MLB Trade Rumors set his salary projection at $1 million in October.

An 11th-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2016 MLB Draft, Kranick made his big-league debut for the club in 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, however, and was later designated for assignment in January 2024.

The Mets went on to claim Kranick, and he spent nearly the entire 2024 campaign with Triple-A Syracuse, where he logged a 4.00 ERA in 41 appearances and 63 innings. After recording a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 spring training frames, he cracked the team’s Opening Day roster and turned in six-straight scoreless outings to open the season.

Kranick was optioned to Syracuse on June 3 before being recalled on June 13, though he underwent season-ending flexor tendon surgery in July. He finished the year with a 3.65 ERA over 37 innings in the majors.

The Mets now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Original Post: Nov. 20 at 6:42 p.m. EST

The Mets are planning on non-tendering left-handed reliever Danny Young, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. The deadline to tender contracts to players under club control is Friday.

Young isn’t yet arbitration-eligible, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in May. He started throwing recently and could be ready for game action at some point in the first half of the 2026 season. He would’ve been under team control through 2030.

A college teammate of Pete Alonso, Young provided the Mets with solid depth out of the bullpen after signing a minor league contract with the team before the 2024 season. For much of that season, he was the Mets’ most-reliable lefty reliever, though he struggled down the stretch. All told, he finishes his Mets career with a 4.50 ERA and 3.25 FIP, along with 61 strikeouts against 21 walks in 46 innings. Young excelled at keeping the ball in the yard, posting a ground-ball rate of 52% and allowing just three home runs.

With Young gone, this leaves the Mets with 39 players on their 40-man roster. Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter, José Castillo, Brandon Waddell, and Richard Lovelady remain as left-handed relief options.

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• Tylor Megill
• David Peterson
• Francisco Alvarez
• Tyrone Taylor
• Jose Castillo
• Huascar Brazobán
• Luis Torrens
• Max Kranick
• Reed Garrett

The Mets have a few players that they will have to make a decision on whether to keep for 2026 or turn them loose.

Tylor Megill

Every year since 2022, Tylor Megill has found his way into the Mets’ rotation after being on the outside looking in to begin spring training. That will not be the case in 2026, as the towering righty underwent Tommy John surgery in September. MLB Trade Rumors projects Megill to make $2.6 million in arbitration. While his 3.95 ERA and 3.43 FIP in 2025 are the best marks of his career, he won’t pitch at all next season and can become a free agent after the 2027 season. Megill’s Mets tenure has been riddled with injuries and inconsistency. While he’s shown flashes of greatness, it’s hard not to wonder if he’s thrown his last pitch in Flushing.

Reed Garrett

Garrett broke out with the Mets in 2024, posting a 3.77 ERA and 3.31 FIP with 83 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. He got off to a red-hot start in 2025, posting a 0.95 ERA through June 10, but got roughed up to the tune of a 7.00 ERA for the rest of the season. Garrett went on the injured list with right elbow inflammation in late August, which cost him two weeks. He made four appearances before needing to go back on the injured list with an elbow sprain, and he had to undergo Tommy John surgery. Garrett is projected to make $1.4 million in arbitration, but the Mets face a tougher decision since Garrett is under team control through 2029. While he won’t be available in 2026, Garrett could be an important piece of the Mets’ bullpen once he gets healthy.

Max Kranick

Kranick, who grew up a Mets fan, showed promise after cracking the big league roster in 2025, posting a solid 3.65 ERA with 25 strikeouts against just five walks in 37 innings. However, just like Garrett and Megill, he was placed on the injured list with elbow trouble and underwent flexor tendon surgery later in the summer. Kranick is projected to make $1.1 million in arbitration this offseason and has three years of club control remaining. Unlike Megill and Garrett, though, Kranick could return to the mound in 2026, as his recovery timeline is shorter. It’s unclear what Kranick’s role would be, but it might be premature for the Mets to cut ties with him.

Huascar Brazobán

After a rough end to his 2024 season, Brazobán came out of the gates strong in 2025. He was one of the team’s best relievers for the first two months of the season, posting a 1.30 ERA over his first 26 appearances of the season. However, he was torched for 17 earned runs in 17 innings over his next 18 appearances, and was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in late July. Brazobán was recalled in late August and was solid the rest of the year, posting a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 innings through the end of the year. He is expected to make $1.3 million in arbitration this offseason and is under team control through 2029. Brazobán has struggled with consistency for much of his Mets tenure and is already 36 years old. With the Mets in desperate need of a bullpen overhaul, they could consider parting ways with the righty to give some younger players with higher upside a shot.

Jose Castillo

Castillo split time with four different teams in 2025, including a 16-game stint with the Mets. He was shuttled between New York and Syracuse, but posted a 2.35 ERA with 19 strikeouts against six walks in 15 1/3 innings with the big club. However, opponents batted .333 against him. The Mets designated Castillo for assignment in September, and he was claimed off waivers by the Mariners. Castillo is projected to make $1.7 million in arbitration, which is a hefty amount for a player who only threw 32 innings in the majors this year. The Mets had a similar situation with another lefty, Alex Young, in 2024, and they non-tendered him despite solid work in 13 2/3 innings. While the Mets are in need of bullpen help, Castillo likely wouldn’t have a major league roster spot in 2026.

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From the opening batter, it appeared like it wasn’t going to be the Mets’ night. Trea Turner led off the game and appeared to watch strike three from Kodai Senga go by, but Turner got help from the home plate umpire, who called it a ball. Turner drove the very next pitch for a triple, scoring in the next at-bat when Kyle Schwarber grounded out.

Philadelphia struck again two innings later when Alec Bohm drove a two-out, two-run single the other way to make it a 3-0 game. Bryce Harper had advanced to second base after singling two at-bats prior, when Juan Soto tried to gun Schwarber down on a play at third. That resulted in two runs scoring on Bohm’s base hit instead of one.

With the way the past few months have gone, the game already felt over. However, the Mets were able to put together a strong fourth inning reminiscent of the team’s comebacks from the 2024 season. It looked like it was going to be another scoreless inning when Pete Alonso came to the plate with two outs and nobody on, but he was able to extend the inning with a single. Alonso eventually advanced to third on a Cristopher Sánchez balk and a wild pitch. The Mets then rattled off four straight baserunners—a Mark Vientos double, a Brandon Nimmo single, a Tyrone Taylor walk, and a Jeff McNeil single—to score three runs to tie the game.

The Mets followed up their big fourth inning with runs in each of the following four innings, scoring in each frame the rest of the way. Mark Vientos recorded his second RBI hit of the night with a run-scoring double in the fifth, before Luis Torrens drove an RBI double into the right field gap in the sixth. Torrens’ hit chased the usually dominant Sánchez from the game with five runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings. David Robertson came in and promptly struck out Francisco Lindor, but a walk to Juan Soto and a Starling Marte RBI single scored another run to put the Mets up 6-3.

Jordan Romano, who has had a rough year out of Philadelphia’s bullpen, immediately loaded the bases with nobody out in the seventh, and the Mets took full advantage. Jeff McNeil flied out deep enough for the run from third to score before Luis Torrens hit a three-run homer, just his third home run of the year, to break the game wide open and put the Mets up 10-3. Tyrone Taylor, Jeff McNeil, and Luis Torrens each recorded an RBI single off Joe Ross in the eighth to add on three more runs and go up 13-3.

The Mets avoided any chance of a comeback with one of the best bullpen efforts we’ve seen this year. After Kodai Senga allowed three runs in four innings, another unpromising start out of him, José Castillo, Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, Ryan Helsley, and Ryne Stanek combined to toss five hitless innings to completely silence the Phillies. The lone baserunner allowed was on a Stanek walk in the ninth.

The 10-run win was a statement from the Mets, who believe they’re not out of contention for the division title just yet. They move to 70-61 on the year and now sit six games behind the Phillies with six left to play against them.

Statistic of the Game: Castillo Earns First Win in Seven Years

With his scoreless fifth inning, which he completed on just three pitches, José Castillo recorded the win for the Mets. The win is the first for Castillo since his rookie year in 2018, when he was with the Padres, and just the fourth of his big league career. Per the SNY broadcast, the last Mets pitcher to go that long without recording a win was José Parra, who recorded a win in 2004 after not having one since 1996.

Player of the Game: Luis Torrens

Who would have expected this? What a game from Torrens, who has been so great defensively this season but generally unreliable with the bat. Torrens has a penchant for going the other way, and he did so with all of his hits going to right-center field. Torrens finished 3-for-5 and recorded five RBIs, playing a big role in this dominant Mets victory.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series with the Phillies on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. It will be a matchup of southpaws, with Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.15 ERA) taking the bump for the Mets and Jesús Luzardo (12-6, 4.10 ERA) going for the Phillies. The game will be broadcast on SNY and TBS.

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Losing Garrett, who, even though wasn’t as sharp in his recent outings, is still a tremendous blow to an unstable bullpen. The righty started the year strong, posting a 0.00 ERA through the end of April (11 ⅔ innings pitched) with 12 punch outs, four walks and 12 hits. However, since May 1, he’s pitched to a 4.65 ERA while striking out 50 batters, walking 20 and allowing 21 earned runs in 40 ⅔ innings. The Mets removed him from a dependable late-inning arm, especially after acquiring Tyler Rogers, Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley.

Castillo rejoins the Mets for his third stint in 2025. He’s pitched well for the Mets, posting a 2.15 ERA in 14 appearances, striking out 17 batters while allowing only six walks.

The post Reed Garrett Hits IL, Mets Select LHP José Castillo appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Cedric Mullins. Photo by Roberto Carlo

The team also announced that lefty reliever José Castillo was outrighted to Syracuse and lefty Brandon Waddell is expected to start a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Saturday. The Mets added relievers Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley in separate trades on Thursday.

Acuña has hit .239/.295/.283 with no homers, seven RBIs and 12 steals in 13 attempts over 175 plate appearances. The addition of Mullins meant someone had to be removed from the 26-man roster. Mullins hit .229/.305/.433 with 15 homers, 49 RBIs and 14 steals in 18 tries in 355 plate appearances for Baltimore.

Castillo struck out 17 in 12 1/3 innings for the Mets and pitched to a 2.19 ERA. Waddell fanned 18 in 27 innings and pitched to a 4.00 ERA.

The Mets (62-47) start a six-game homestand Friday with the San Francisco Giants (54-55) while holding a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the National League East.

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Pintaro, our 22nd-ranked prospect in the Mets organization, has turned in a solid 3.40 ERA with 57 strikeouts against 15 walks in 42 1/3 innings for Double-A Binghamton. The 27-year-old was originally slated to join Triple-A Syracuse, but instead will head to Flushing to aid a struggling bullpen. As for Waddell, he’s made four appearances for the big club in 2025, posting a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts against two walks in 10 1/3 innings. He has a 3.27 ERA in 41 1/3 innings for Syracuse.

Lovelady’s tenure in New York ends up being short-lived, with Tuesday night being his lone appearance in orange and blue. The 29-year-old retired the first five batters he faced, but allowed two walks and an RBI double, getting charged with two earned runs. Castillo, meanwhile, allowed just one earned run through his first 12 appearances with the Mets, but failed to retire a batter and got tagged with two earned runs and the loss on Tuesday.

With Castillo and Lovelady departing, Waddell becomes the lone lefty in the Mets’ bullpen. The relief corps is expected to get the rehabbing Brooks Raley back before too long.

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However, despite securing a 3-0 lead and a clean start by Montas, the Mets’ bullpen gave up seven runs as the Mets’ dropped their fifth straight game to the Braves and 10 of their last 11.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Montas was overall solid in his first game as a Met, throwing five scoreless innings. He struck out five over the course of 80 pitches (46 for strikes). He gave up just three hits over those five innings and walked three as well, but was always able to work himself out of trouble.

But the Mets bullpen could not support their starter as they combined to give up seven earned runs over the course of the last four innings. Huascar Brazoban and Jose Castillo each struggled, allowing six runners in seven batters immediately following Montas’ replacement. The game was tied at three when Reed Garrett replaced them, striking out the first batter he faced. But a Matt Olson double put the Braves up 5-3 and for good.

The Mets struck first in the fourth after being no-hit through the first three innings.

Two walks and single loaded the bases for Jeff McNeil, who hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to left field that allowed Juan Soto to tag-up and score from third to give the Mets the first run of the night.

Strider then walked Torrens to once again load the bases for Brett Baty, who came up clutch with a two-RBI single that scored Alonso and Marte to extend the Mets’ lead to 3-0.

Montas’ night was done after five shutout innings as Carlos Mendoza went to the bullpen in the sixth. And that is when things unraveled.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Following the fifth-inning meltdown, Richard Lovelady retired the first five batters he faced, but a walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. and another Olsen double made it 6-3 after seven.

The Mets tried to rally in the ninth against Braves relief pitcher Enyel De Los Santos. Jeff McNeil got things started with a one-out double. He was followed by a single by Jared Young that put two on to chase De Los Santos out the game. The Braves brought in Raisel Iglesias to replace De Los Santos. Iglesias gave up a two-out double to Ronny Mauricio that scored McNeil, but he then forced Francisco Lindor to ground out to end the game as the Braves went on to defeat the Mets 7-4 at Citi Field.

Stat of the Game

Unfortunately, not a good one: The Mets have now lost 10 of 11.

(A neutral stat is that the temperature at the start of tonight game (97 degrees) is the hottest start to a Met game in over 30 years.)

On Deck

The Mets and Braves continue their series on Wednesday night at Citi Field as the Mets will look for their first win over Atlanta in 2025. The Braves will send right-handed pitcher Didier Fuentes (0-1, 7.20 ERA, 3 SO) to the mound against right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (7-4, 3.04 ERA, 73 SO) for the Mets.

The post Bullpen Implodes Again As Skid Continues, Lose 7-4 to Braves appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Castillo was acquired from the Diamondbacks Friday for cash considerations. The move gave the Mets another left-handed option in the bullpen after Danny Young and A.J. Minter went down for the remainder of the 2025 season. Castillo pitched to a 11.37 ERA and 2.053 WHIP

Meanwhile, Núñez struggled in his return to the major league roster. The right-hander was one of the Mets most reliable arms last season, but struggled to a 7.36 ERA with six walks in 3 2/3 innings.

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The Mets have acquired left-handed pitcher José Castillo from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. He has posted an 11.37 ERA across five major league appearances so far this year. In a corresponding move, right-handed pitcher Kevin Herget has been designated for assignment.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

Jay Horwitz reminisces about the first-ever regular-season Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium in 1997, when pitcher Dave Mlicki threw a complete game shutout for the Mets against the Yankees, defeating them for the first time 6-0.

Syracuse Mets pitcher Austin Warren spoke with our own Mojo Hill and discussed his high school bowling days, along with his appreciation for the Mets organization.

Joe Pantorno of amNY writes that Mets pitchers Drew Smith and Paul Blackburn are progressing in their injury rehabs. Smith, recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw off a mound for the first time and hopes to begin rehab games later this summer. He had a 3.06 ERA before his injury last season. Blackburn, rehabbing from knee inflammation, will start today for Double-A Binghamton after a 60-pitch outing in Triple-A. He’s being stretched out as a starter, though his role remains flexible.

Coach’s Collectibles announced a public autograph and photo op event with Mets legend David Wright. Set for Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the Melville Marriott, the event will feature two limited sessions of 300 tickets each. First session runs 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (photo ops at 10:30 a.m.), and second session runs 5–7 p.m. (photo ops at 5 p.m.).

Latest MLB News

The Minnesota Twins have recalled pitcher Kody Funderburk and optioned Simeon Woods Richardson to Triple-A St. Paul.

The MLB Hall of Pretty Good Podcast withdrew its nomination for pitcher Jeremy Jeffress from the Hall of Pretty Good, as the pitcher revealed on Instagram that he is still an active player looking to make it back to the major leagues.

Longtime utility man Tony Kemp announced his retirement from baseball after nine major league seasons.

Former MLB All-Star Rafael Furcal turned himself in Wednesday at the Broward County Jail on two felony charges: aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and throwing a deadly missile into an occupied vehicle. The incident occurred on Monday, but details remain limited. The warrant was issued by Sunrise police. Furcal, a 14-year MLB veteran and 2011 World Series champion, has prior DUI arrests from his playing days. He was released on a $7,500 bond.

According to MLB Communications, Wednesday, May 14, drew a record-setting total attendance of 501,596 fans across 17 games and 16 ballparks, averaging 31,350 fans per gate. It was the highest Wednesday attendance ever recorded in April or May.

According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Chicago White Sox have acquired pitcher Miguel Castro from the Houston Astros. The 30-year-old former Met last appeared in the majors with the Diamondbacks last season and has posted a 2.29 ERA in 17 Triple-A games this year.

Yuki Yamada of MLB.com reports that the Chicago Cubs have signed pitcher Kenta Maeda to a minor league deal.

Latest on MMO

Andrew Steele-Davis gives his 3 Up, 3 Down for the Mets’ series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Dom Barone writes about how the Mets have found a gem in Griffin Canning.

Matt Mancuso breaks down Pete Alonso’s bat speed.

On This Date In Mets History

1983: Darryl Strawberry hits his first major league home run against the Pirates. Strawberry’s 252 home runs with the Mets remain the most in franchise history.

Born On This Date: Jerrod Riggan (1973), Frank Seminara (1967).

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