The non-tender deadline didn’t have much drama for the New York Mets. Tylor Megill was tendered a deal despite being out for all of next season. The same circumstances follow Reed Garrett into the early weeks of the offseason. They didn’t feel the same way about Max Kranick or Danny Young who were both non-tendered and will become free agents. They could always re-sign them to a minor league deal with an option for 2027 to rehab for a year. Kranick would make more sense for this given the greater upside he showed last year.
The third was the only one we can slightly question. Jose Castillo was non-tendered just two weeks after joining the Mets as a waiver claim.
We have made the following roster moves. pic.twitter.com/768iiBckdR
— New York Mets (@Mets) November 21, 2025
Because he was non-tendered, there is no waiver process to pass through. He’s least likely to immediately come back and sign a minor league deal with the Mets. And frankly, it’s fine.
The headache known as Jose Castillo is a free agent again
Castillo had a weird season with the Mets. A 2.35 ERA in 15.1 innings is pretty awesome. Even his walk and strikeout numbers were good. His 3.5 BB/9 was envious in comparison to some of his teammates. With 11.2 K/9, he showed off some nasty stuff as well.
His 1.76 WHIP tells a completely different story of who Castillo was. He was hit regularly. A .333 batting average against him in a Mets uniform is the ultimate red flag of how much worse it probably should have been with him on the mound.
Puzzling numbers to say the least, Castillo wasn’t in anyone’s Mets plans for 2026. Claimed on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on November 6, it’s interesting to see them so quickly dispose of him. It’s not as if they needed to come to terms on a deal already. Perhaps the Tampa Bay Rays sending Nate Lavender back had the Mets thinking they don’t need this many lefties on the depth chart.
David Stearns likes to play this game with players, especially relievers. The Mets set an MLB record for most pitchers used in a season last year. And just because Castillo is gone now doesn’t mean he can’t be a part of a brand new record next year.
