In this four-part series, we look back on the minor leaguers that the Mets released or traded over 2025. Today, we focus on right-handed pitchers.
02/01/25: DSL Mets Orange released RHP Greidi Pina.
02/01/25:
DSL Mets Orange released RHP Nehomar Turmero.
02/04/25: DSL Mets Blue released RHP Nomar Meza.
02/04/25: DSL Mets Blue released RHP Darlin Lora.
02/06/25: RHP Dylan Covey elected free agency.
• Covey never actually pitched for any Mets affiliate, signing after the 2024 season ended and leaving prior to the start of 2025. He’s had a crazy baseball career, but knowing nothing about his personal life, habits, or opinions, seems like the kind of guy that is easy to root for to succeed given all the hurdles he’s faced.
02/10/25: DSL Mets Orange released RHP Patricio Trinidad.
• I went up and down the team minor league roster twice, and while there were a few players who shared the same first or last name with cities around the world, there was not one other player who shared his name with another country (though Haniel German and Cameron Foster came close)
02/10/25: FCL Mets released RHP Rodolfo Garrido.
03/17/25: FCL Mets released RHP Eldridge Armstrong III.
03/17/25: FCL Mets released RHP Andrew Carson.
03/17/25: FCL Mets released RHP Hayden Cooper.
03/24/25: St. Lucie Mets released RHP Ricardo Baptist.
03/24/25: FCL Mets released RHP Jhosep Chirinos.
03/24/25: FCL Mets released RHP Francisco Mercado.
03/27/25: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released RHP Connor Overton.
• Overton was signed by Toronto, but he was released in June and subsequently pitched poorly in the Atlantic League; is the window finally shut?
04/04/25: FCL Mets released RHP Andinson Ferrer.
04/27/25: DSL Mets Orange released RHP Yoandri Gonzalez.
05/01/25: RHP José Ureña elected free agency.
• Ureña ended up playing for 7 teams in 2025: the New York Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins, the Los Angeles Angels, the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, and the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. If you want to count them, he also played for the Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League at the beginning of the year and is currently playing for the Toros del Este, upping his frequent-flier miles in 2025 to 9.
05/24/25: Syracuse Mets released RHP Sean Reid-Foley.
• A former second-round draft pick, who was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014 MLB Draft, the Mets acquired the right-hander in 2021, along with pitchers Yennsy Diaz and Josh Winckowski, in exchange for Steven Matz. Reid-Foley tore his UCL in early 2022 and underwent Tommy John surgery in May, ending his season. He became a free agent at the end of the season but re-signed with the Mets multiple times, pitching at the major league level as well as in the minor leagues. In May 2025, he was released by the Mets. He was subsequently signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks roughly a week later and made 16 appearances for their Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces, before being released by Arizona in late July.
06/07/25: DSL Mets Blue released RHP Johan Moreno.
06/27/25: Syracuse Mets released RHP Grant Hartwig.
• An undrafted free agent, Grant Hartwig signed with the Mets for $20,000 a few days after the 2021 MLB Draft and roughly two weeks before he was scheduled to take the MCATs. A graduate of Miami University of Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, the right-hander decided to put his dream to become an orthopedic surgeon on hold to attempt a baseball career. In 2023, after posting solid numbers in the Mets minor league system the prior two seasons, Hartwig made his MLB debut, throwing a scoreless inning. He would subsequently turn into an up-and-down reliever for Syracuse and New York before being released in June 2025. A few weeks later, he was signed by the Hanshin Tigers, appearing in 16 games for them and posting a 3.65 ERA in 12.1 innings with 9 hits allowed, 7 walks, and 8 strikeouts. He has since signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins, keeping the dream alive.
07/10/25: RHP Zach Pop elected free agency.
7/25/25: Mets traded RHP Wellington Aracena.
• There are two ways (maybe three) to realistically evaluate a trade: in its immediate aftermath and then after some time has passed (and maybe even a considerable amount of time has passed, depending on the deal). In the immediate aftermath of this trade, it seemed fine. Wellington Aracena was an emerging pitcher, but there were still some major concerns and question marks, while Soto was a former closer and two-time All-Star who was basically a leave-average reliever since his halcyon days back in Detroit. Soto wasn’t particularly great, but he wasn’t terrible for the Mets, either. His Mets tenure started off to great success, with ten consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, but when the Mets needed Soto the most, he was MIA, allowing 9 earned runs in 8.2 innings over the final two weeks or so of the season. All in all, the Mets got 24.0 slightly-below-average innings in 2025 that didn’t help them get over the hump and reach the playoffs. Did they give up much? At the time, no, and the needle has only moved slightly so far, a few months later. The jury is still out on this one, and probably will be for some time depending on how Aracena’s career develops, but with Soto having signed with the Pirates, the book is closed on the value he provided to the Mets, while the book for Aracena to provide value for the Orioles is just opening.
7/25/25: Mets traded RHP Cameron Foster.
07/26/25: RHP Chris Devenski elected free agency.
• Devenski ended up re-signing with the Mets a few days later.
07/30/25: Mets traded RHP Frank Elissalt.
• Frank Elissalt was one of many solid-if-unspectacular college pitchers with similar profiles drafted on Day Two and Day Three of the 2024 MLB Draft, and like most of them, he took some major steps forward once going pro and finding himself under the tutelage of the Mets’ minor league pitching coaches. The 23-year-old spent the majority of the season in Single-A and posted a 3.02 ERA in 50.2 innings, allowing 30 hits, walking 21, and striking out 57. Would that have been good enough to make the 2026 Amazin’ Avenue Top 25 Prospects list? Maybe.
In exchange for Elissalt and some other prospects, the Mets received Ryan Helsley. At the time the deal was made, it seemed like a major win for the Mets. They would be receiving an experienced, high-leverage arm to help bolster an ailing bullpen. As we all know, while the process was still right, things turned out disastrous for Helsley, who, to add insult to injury, has since signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, removing any possibility of the right-hander potentially redeeming himself and the transaction.
07/30/25: Mets traded RHP Nate Dohm.
• When Nate Dohm was selected with the Mets 3rd round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, I wasn’t really a fan. The right-hander from Mississippi State University did not have much of a track record, and dealt with concerning injuries in 2024, and while there was talent there sure, I would’ve rather seen the team make a safer pick. Dohm made 7 solid starts with St. Lucie, 11 solid appearances with Brooklyn (10 starts), and then was traded, so I guess analyzing his risk-reward trade offs is irrelevant now.
In exchange for Dohm (and others), the Mets received Ryan Helmsley. At the time, it seemed like a coup; the Mets were receiving an experienced high-leverage arm to bolster an ailing bullpen and all they had to give up were a handful of high-risk players who may or may not have had places on the team in three years. The process was still right but given that Helsley turned out to be an unmitigated disaster and has since signed with the Baltimore Orioles, so the results are not looking great. There’s a very good chance Dohm does not develop into anything spectacular, but given how Helsley’s 2025 season turned out, any kind of positive value at the major league level will sting a bit.
07/30/25: Mets traded RHP Blade Tidwell.
• Drafted by the Mets in the 2nd round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee, Blade Tidwell had an inconsistent career in the organization, at times looking lights out and at other times laboring through 5 innings with seemingly no rhyme or reason. While he had a impressive arsenal of pitches in a vacuum, what flashed above-average in one start could look flat in the next, and he generally struggled to command everything he threw. The Mets called him up in early May for a start and then brought him back up in late June and early July for another few games, but the 24-year-old right-hander never really looked the part of a major league pitcher, posting a 9.00 ERA in 15.0 innings, allowing 23 hits, walking 10, and striking out 10.
There may still be time for Tidwell to iron out his kinks, and in a new organization he might, but in exchange for him, the Mets received a reliable bullpen arm in Tyler Rogers who was without question the best trade acquisition that the organization made in 2025. The funky right-hander appeared in 28 games for a Mets bullpen that desperately needed to be buttressed and posted a 2.30 ERA in 27.1 innings. Sure, he barely struck anyone out, but he didn’t allow much hard contact and gave Carlos Mendoza a reliable hand to turn to in a sea of untrustworthy relievers. With Rogers now pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, only time will tell whether or not the Mets made a mistake by parting with Tidwell.
7/31/25: Mets traded RHP Raimon Gomez.
• Raimon Gomez was traded, along with Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh to Baltimore in exchange for Cedric Mullins, and while the Mets didn’t necessarily give up much, they didn’t get anything of value, as Mullins’ bat cratered to new lows in the 40 games/~125 at-bats he had in a New York Mets uniform. With his 100+ MPH fastball but lack of control, Gomez can alternate between unhittable and unpitchable on a dime. Between his red flags related to health and performance, and the numbers Mullins put up, it’s about even in terms of what was given up to what was received: not much for not much.
7/31/25: Mets traded RHP Anthony Nunez.
• Like Gomez above, Nunez was also sent to Baltimore in exchange for Mullins. Whereas Gomez had health and volatility issues prior to 2025 that reared their heads during the season, Nunez pitched well for the Brooklyn Cyclones and Binghamton Rumble Ponies prior to the trade, pitched well for Chesapeake Baysox and Norfolk Tides after the trade, and is now on the Orioles’ 40-Man Roster. Nunez very easily can be removed from their 40-man tomorrow and fade into obscurity. He also might pitch well for the Orioles. Like Gomez, the Mets didn’t give too much up here in return for Mullins, but Nunez is seemingly potentially on the cusp of turning into a contributor. This time next year, it is equally likely that we are talking about Nunez and wishing he was in the Mets’ bullpen as it is that we forgot him completely.
7/31/25: Mets traded RHP Chandler Marsh.
• Unlike Raimon Gomez and Anthony Nunez, Chandler Marsh is not all that interesting. No offense to Chandler Marsh, of course. An undrafted free agent signing who pitched at the University of Georgia before going pro, the numbers were fine but everything about him was run-of-the-mill and eminently replaceable; if your organization can’t replace a 22-year-old reliever in Single-High-A with solid-if-unspectacular numbers and stuff that is fine but nothing special, you’ve got big problems.
08/02/25: Syracuse Mets released RHP Junior Fernández.
08/02/25: Syracuse Mets released RHP Julian Merryweather.
08/04/25: FCL Mets released RHP Deivy Paulino.
08/12/25: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released RHP Hunter Parsons.
08/29/25: St. Lucie Mets released RHP Yuhi Sako.
• Saho got a lot of attention when he signed, seemingly just because he was Japanese, but realistically there was not much to be had with Sako. The 25-year-old was signed by the organization in December 2024, but the complete lack of interest from professional teams in Japan, Korea, or the U.S. was a flag most professional scouts and evaluators doubted his ability to excel against competition more stringent than the ABL, MXPW, or independent leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander appeared in 17 games combined for the FCL Mets and St. Lucie Mets and posted a cumulative 4.03 ERA in 22.1 innings, allowing 21 hits, walking 4, and striking out 32.
09/29/25: RHP Kevin Herget elected free agency.
09/09/25: RHP Justin Garza elected free agency.
• For some reason, I immediately thought Justin Garza was Matt Garza. That made me look up the mid-to-late 2000s Devil Rays/Rays pitchers, and that was a blast from the past.
09/20/25: Baltimore Orioles claimed RHP Dom Hamel off waivers.
• When Hamel was drafted in 2021, I was the low man on him among our prospect team. Over the years, ironically, he grew on me more and more as his production on the field declined, and by this time last year, I was the high man on him. Hamel finally started relieving in 2025, something everybody was clamoring for, but it didn’t particularly help his performance. By the time Baltimore claimed him on waivers, it was clear that there really just wasn’t a place in the organization for him and that a change of scenery was needed. He has since been claimed on waivers by the Texas Rangers, where perhaps he’ll be able to figure things out.
10/06/25: RHP Wander Suero elected free agency.
10/06/25: RHP Chris Devenski elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Ty Adcock elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Luis Moreno elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Bryce Montes de Oca elected free agency.
• Bryce Montes de Oca has the longest tenure of any player mentioned in this series of articles. The right-hander was drafted by the team on June 15, 2018, six-and-a-half, almost seven years ago. In those six-and-a-half, almost seven years, he’s thrown a total of 98.2 innings over 88 games. Obviously, he’s dealt with a litany of issues and injuries, so it’s not his fault, but man.
11/06/25: RHP Yacksel Rios elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Oliver Ortega elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Alfred Vega elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Eduardo Herrera elected free agency.
11/06/25: RHP Matt Allan elected free agency.
• Arguably the biggest what if in this series. A highly touted high school pitcher from Florida, the Mets had to carefully curate their 2019 draft to save every penny possible, agreeing to terms with Allan for $2.5 million, almost $2 million more than the MLB-assigned slot value for the 89th overall pick, $667,900. The right-hander looked like the real deal in his brief assignment to the Brooklyn Cyclones that September, helping them out at the end of the regular season and in the NYPL Playoffs, but then disaster struck.
In 2020, a world pandemic. In 2021, a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament that required Tommy John surgery. In 2022, ulnar transposition surgery, a common follow-up operation for those who have Tommy John that ultimately cost him the entire season. In 2023, UCL revision surgery, in effect a second Tommy John. In 2024, more rehab and recovery that prevented him from pitching. Finally, this past season, Allan pitched in an organized game for the first time since his initial elbow injury, not having toed the mound for regular/postseason season game since before the release of the iPhone 11, missing the entire Biden administration (January 2021-January 2025), as well as Bennifer 2.0 (April 2021-January 2025).
Expectations were low as the team eased Allan back into the swing of things, but like a comet, just as soon as it looked like he was back, Allan was gone. After throwing a clean ninth inning in Brooklyn’s 8-2 drubbing of the Ashville Tourists on June 10, the right-hander did not pitch again, placed breathlessly on the 7-Day injured list, and then roughly a month later, the 60-Day.
11/06/25: RHP Jace Beck elected free agency.
• I always liked Jace Beck (6’9”). The 2015 Savannah Sand Gnats rotation of Martires Arias (6’10”), Casey Meisner (6’7”), Josh Prevost (6’7”), and Brad Wieck (6’8”) always intrigued me. Drafted out of Blanchard High School in 2019, the book on Beck was that he had a so-so fastball and not much of any kind of secondary breaking or off-speed pitch. In the few years that he pitched in the organization, nothing really changed for the big 25-year-old right-hander. After missing all of 2024, he was not particularly good in 2025, and that was all she wrote.
11/13/25: FCL Mets released RHP Jonah Conradt.
12/10/25: RHP TJ Shook selected by the Rockies in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft.
12/10/25: RHP Trey McLoughlin selected by the Astros in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft.
12/10/25: RHP Dylan Tebrake selected by the Nationals in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft.
