5 former NY Mets players from last year’s roster without a job as Opening Day nears

A big turkey dinner, some chamomile tea, and the audio version of Great Expectations read by the late Steve Wright could put you to sleep long enough where the next time you wake up it’ll be Opening Day for the New York Mets. As locked in as many of the roster spots are for them, several ex-Mets players continue to have no idea what’s in store for them in 2025.

Free agency has, yet again, hit a snag for several players who could be quality contributors for the upcoming years. Factors like roster flexibility, players overvaluing themselves, and the penalties that come for spending “too much” on players all have teams passing on certain baseball nomads.

In fact, these five players who suited up for the Mets at one point in 2025 remain unsigned with Opening Day so close you could make awkward eye contact with it.

1) Brooks Raley

It’s understandable why Brooks Raley hasn’t signed yet. His 2024 season was cut short thanks to Tommy John surgery. Unavailable for at least the first few months of the 2025 season, he’s probably a good candidate to get a small contract for this year and an option for 2026 that’s a big heftier.

No team has budged yet, not even the Mets who signed Adbert Alzolay and brought back Drew Smith with minimal expectations of seeing either pitch for the big league club this coming season. It’s not unorthodox for players to sign while hurt. At 36, Raley doesn’t have age on his side which could be one of the major reasons why teams have avoided him thus far. As there is no rush for him to sign, he’s probably holding out for a better offer.

Raley’s time with the Mets was impressive, tossing 61.2 innings and posting a 2.48 ERA. A late-bloomer who didn’t put together a MLB season of 30+ innings until 2021 in his age 33 campaign, he’s a guy who should have plenty of motivation to work his way back no matter how long it takes.