Key prospect from memorable NY Mets-Blue Jays trade hopes to return back to MLB

Many MLB players keep their dream alive by heading overseas. That's exactly the career path former New York Mets pitcher Anthony Kay took. Kay, once a former first-round pick by the Mets, top prospect, and a key part of a memorable trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, spent the last two seasons in Japan's NPB with the Yokohama DeNA Baystars. After a strong 2025 season, the left-hander is looking to make his way back to the United States, according to Jon Heyman.

Kay was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2016 draft, taken 31st overall. He quickly became one of their best prospects, as MLB Pipeline ranked him as the organization's eighth best, and Baseball America placed him as their fifth best heading into 2019. However, Kay wouldn't make the Major Leagues with the Mets, as they traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays, alongside fellow top pitching prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson, in the blockbuster deal that landed the Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman.

Unfortunately, Kay never blossomed into the pitcher prospects rankings would have suggested he could have been. He only pitched 70.2 innings with the Jays from 2019 through 2022, working to a mediocre 5.48 ERA, 4.67 FIP, and 1.63 WHIP. The Jays put Kay on waivers in December of 2023, and the Chicago Cubs claimed him. He only pitched 13.1 innings in 2023 with Chicago, allowing eight earned runs, before making his way back to the Mets via waivers once again during mid-September. Kay would end up tossing just 3.1 more innings, which were his last frames with a Major League club. He spent the final week of October in the Athletics organization before being released.

Kay then signed with the Baystars in January 2024, and his first season in Japan did not go very well. His 3.42 ERA, 2.84 FIP, and 1.34 WHIP in 136 innings may look good, but the NPB has been undergoing their own Deadball Era. The average ERA in 2024 was just 2.88. The Southpaw's ERA- was just 115 (meaning 15% worse than league average). His 9% walk rate was also worse than average, but he at least put up a solid 20% strikeout rate and 0.40 HR/9.

Former Mets top prospect who was included in blockbuster deal looks to make his way back to US after dominating NPB.

However, 2025 has been a much more promising season for Kay. He put up a 1.74 ERA, 2.55 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP over 155 innings of work. He has improved his strikeout rate to 21.8% and cut his BB% down to 6.8%. Kay also maintained a similar 0.46 HR/9. Overall, he was one of the best pitchers in NPB during 2025. Among qualified hurlers, Kay had the fifth-best ERA, WHIP, and the tenth-best FIP. His 14.7% K%-BB% was also the 11th best. He was also one of only four pitchers who held opponents to a batting average below the Mendoza Line, as Kay came in at .198. As Jon Heyman noted, he also led the league in ground ball rate and set the Baystars' single-season ERA record. 

Heyman also states that Kay was up to 94.6 MPH with his fastball. During his time in the Major Leagues, Kay averaged 94.1 MPH with his four-seamer. While that may not seem like a massive uptick in NPB, Kay was also primarily being used as a reliever in MLB. Only seven of his 44 appearances came as a starting pitcher. He's now throwing slightly harder while tallying a career-high number of innings.

Pitchers who have returned from foreign leagues have secured decent contracts for themselves. One of the biggest success stories in recent baseball history, Miles Mikolas signed a two-year, $15.5 million contract in the 2017-2018 offseason after spending parts of three seasons in NPB. Erick Fedde, who spent two seasons in South Korea's KBO, also signed a similar two-year, $15 million contract with the Chicago White Sox during the 2023-2024 offseason.

We shall see where Kay ends up this offseason. The former Mets top prospect may have finally found something that works that could make him live up to the promise he showed when the Mets selected him 31st overall nearly a decade ago, as he dominated NPB batters, even when considering the league is going through a Deadball Era.