Clever contract helps NY Mets slide important depth piece through waivers

To make room for Drew Romo earlier this week, the New York Mets were forced to execute a separate roster move. As a result, Brandon Waddell was designated for assignment. Unjust because of how well he pitched for them last year, posting a 3.45 ERA in 31.1 innings spread across a start and 10 relief appearances, the good news is he’ll head directly to Syracuse with the other 29 teams passing on him.

A couple of successful seasons in Korea had David Stearns taking a chance on Waddell last year on a major league contract. With one minor league option remaining, the team was able to easily plug him onto the depth chart as a planned minor leaguer. His minor league numbers were unremarkable, posting a 5.02 ERA in 75.1 innings. Nevertheless, as a starter and bullpen option with the main purpose serving the Mets as someone who can eat multiple innings in either role, keeping Waddell around for 2026 in any capacity is a victory.

Why didn’t anyone else take a chance on him? The Mets used a clever strategy of signing him to a split contract back in November.

Brandon Waddell is sticking with the Mets in an increasingly crowded pitching depth chart

Waddell sticking around makes an already crowded pitching depth chart more full. Leaving out the players already on the 40-man roster, the Mets have fellow starters/swingmen Robert Stock, Justin Armbruester, and Aaron Rozek this offseason. The 40-man roster has Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Christian Scott, Justin Hagenman, and Jonathan Pintaro on it as starters as well. That’s already 9 starting pitchers before we get to the lesser prospects like Felip De La Cruz and Joander Suarez.

Needless to say, some of these players will slot in as relievers more often than not even in Syracuse. Some of the ones with MLB experience may even have opt outs in their contract. A favorable spring for someone like Stock could have him thinking twice about getting buried on the Mets depth chart and seeking out an opportunity elsewhere.

There is no such thing as “too much pitching” and the Mets continue to stockpile arms like the government is trying to outlaw them.

Waddell’s usefulness came in spurts throughout the 2025 season. He made appearances in 5 different months, appearing in games for the Mets at the tail end of April, May, and August just once. Often an emergency choice when the bullpen might’ve been taxed the day prior, the Mets won’t have the same chance to easily flip him back and forth between the majors and minors. We, again, return to the split contract he signed. Other teams won’t value him at a higher rate even if it seems like pennies in terms of MLB contracts.