4) Max Kranick
A surprise Mets representative in the playoffs but not beyond pre-game introductions, Max Kranick is a bit of a puzzle. He gained an extra minor league option because of his injury history. It’s a bit unclear if he can still be sent to the minors again in 2025. If so, there’s an argument to keep him. If the Mets cannot option him to Syracuse, he’d be someone to DFA and hope clears waivers. This exact event occurred in the middle of the 2024 season.
Kranick pitched quite well for Syracuse. He finished with a 3.57 ERA in 63 innings. He successfully transitioned into more of a reliever role after a career that almost exclusively included him throwing as a starter.
He didn’t dazzle, though. Just 7.6 strikeouts per 9 and a 1.22 WHIP plus a rather high 1.7 home runs per 9 all added up to Kranick remaining in the minors until the Mets felt the need to have an innings eater in the postseason. If not for Tylor Megill starting the penultimate game of the regular season against the Atlanta Braves, a larger percentage of Mets fans wouldn’t have any idea who he is.
It would be great to see Kranick remain in some capacity simply because we all want to root for someone to live out their childhood dreams. Growing up a Mets fan, it would be a good guess that even if he is cut before Opening Day, he’d return to the Mets by choice if given to him.