Promising pitcher released by the Marlins fits a theme for the NY Mets in free agency

Hurt on the job? The Mets don't mind.
Atlanta Braves v Miami Marlins
Atlanta Braves v Miami Marlins | Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/GettyImages

As eager as we are to see the New York Mets make bigger additions to the roster this offseason, we should totally expect them to add smaller ones, too. A common theme throughout David Stearns’ tenure is the club’s willingness to pay players to sit out a season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. They brought back Drew Smith this past year for a chance at contributing in 2026. Adbert Alzolay, formerly of the Chicago Cubs, is another who signed a deal with the Mets with both sides knowing he wouldn’t be seen at all in 2025.

The Miami Marlins aren’t so keen to pay players to contribute nothing but space in the rehab room. It’s one of the reasons why Declan Cronin was released by the organization in early September. A victim to Tommy John surgery this week, we can expect him to miss all of 2026.

That doesn’t mean he’ll sit idly by in free agency. A promising rookie year in 2024 should have the Mets as one of the teams in conversation to stash him on their 60-day IL for the 2026 season in hopes of benefitting from his presence a year later.

Declan Cronin is a Mets minor league free agent signing waiting to happen

Cronin pitched to a 4.35 ERA in 2024, logging 70.1 innings in relief for the Marlins. Just one home run given up all year with a 3.2 BB/9 and 9.2 K/9 rates, there was a lot to suggest he was the victim of more bad luck than anything else. He spent all of this past season in the minors without great results. Included was a 4.87 ERA in Triple-A and 6.2 BB/9.

Despite the lackluster ERA in 2024, Cronin’s big league work had many signs of turning out far better. A ground ball rate of 57.8% should play better than it actually did.

His sinker was very hittable with batters knocking him around for a .340 batting average. Blame it on the 2024 Marlins defense that rated as one of the worst in baseball.

Cronin’s pitching profile seems to match a lot of what the Mets look for. Slider and sinker heavy, he threw a sweeper minimally in his two big league seasons; 2023 accounting for just an additional 11 innings. The 28-year-old appears to be someone with untapped potential. Unsigned with a long recovery ahead of him, the Mets feel like a match barring any major changes to their pitching philosophies.