Drew Smith, the longtime Mets reliever who signed a $1m contract for the 2025 season with a $2m club option for 2026, is set to be a free agent after the Mets declined the option, the team announced today.
Smith, who is now 32, has been in the organization since 2017, when he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for Lucas Duda at the trade deadline that season. Prior to that, Smith was drafted by the Detroit Tigers out of Dallas Baptist University in the third round in 201, and was traded to the Rays earlier in the 2017 season for Mikie Mahtook.
Smith was a mainstay in the middle of the Mets bullpen from 2018 to 2024, pitching in 191 games, earning a 12-13 record, five saves, a 3.48 ERA, 0.6 fWAR, a 24.5% strikeout rate, and a 9,3% walk rate. In July of 2024, he underwent Tommy John surgery, which cost him the rest of his 2024 season, and all of his 2025.
A free agent after the 2024 campaign season, the Mets gave him the one year, $1m contract with the $2m option for 2026 so they can keep an eye on his rehab and see where his elbow was after the season.
While this does not necessarily means his time in Queens is absolutely over — it is possible they would like him back on a contract with less Major League guarantees, like a minor league contract or a split contract — he is now able to sign anywhere of his choosing and get his career back on track.
