5 players the NY Mets are glad they gave another chance to

2) Max Kranick

Max Kranick was picked up on a minor league contract by the NY Mets in the 2023-2024 offseason. The right-hander was once a top 30 prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates' system, ranking at #28 by MLB Pipeline and #30 by Baseball America. Kranick made a splash in his debut, pitching five perfect innings, and likely could have gone longer had it not been for a rain delay. While Kranick struggled down the line in '21, he was given another chance as a multi-inning reliever in the Pirates' pen.

Unfortunately, Kranick would only toss five innings across two games before undergoing Tommy John surgery in early June, eliminating him for all of 2022 and most of 2023. Kranick would only throw 20.2 more innings in the Pirates' organization in '23, all of which came at A-Ball and Triple-A before he was ultimately designated for assignment in January of 2024.

The Mets then swooped in and claimed the former prospect, and he spent most of his season at Triple-A Syracuse. Kranick tossed 63 innings for Syracuse, working to a 3.57 ERA, 5.41 FIP, and 1.22 WHIP. He only walked 7.7% of opponents, with a 20.4% strikeout rate. But he struggled greatly with home runs with a 1.71 HR/9 ratio. Despite this, the Mets felt confident enough to include Kranick on their Wild Card roster, though he was not used.

Kranick went into spring training 2025 with something to prove, and he tossed 12.1 innings, only allowing two earned runs, a single walk, and striking out 15 opponents. This strong performance earned Kranick a bullpen spot, and so far, the Mets have not regretted it in the slightest. Kranick has pitched seven scoreless frames to open 2025. He has only struck out three opponents but has not allowed a walk yet. He has also shown to be good at limiting quality contact with an 87.7 MPH exit velo and 5.3% barrel percentage in the small sample size.