Brooks

Raley

This move was reported earlier in the day and is now official. Raley has been great for the Mets, posting a 1.96 ERA in 41 1/3 innings this season. He’ll add another reliable arm to the Phillies’ bullpen.

The Phillies certainly needed an extra reliable arm in the bullpen, and Raley has been that for the Mets, posting a 1.96 ERA in 41 1/3 innings this season. He’ll operate in the middle innings and give the Phillies some help getting the games to Jhoan Duran.

Both left-handers can become free agents at the end of the season, and the Mets aren’t close to the playoffs. We may not see a huge sell-off from the Mets while they look to compete again in 2027, but pending free agents should definitely be on the radar.

This was always a foregone conclusion. Raley had a $4.75 million team option for 2026 and was one of the Mets’ most reliable relievers in 2025 with a 2.45 ERA in 30 appearances. He will, once again, be one of their key left-handed pitchers in 2026.

Raley returns after missing the first half of the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 37-year-old has shown the ability to be a very strong high-leverage reliever in the past, but it’s plausible that New York will ease him into that type of role to begin his season. Either way, without saves, Raley doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside.

The 36-year-old left-hander made three appearances at Low-A St. Lucie over the past few weeks, allowing just three hits over three scoreless innings with a 6/0 K/BB ratio. The Mets are hoping that he’ll be ready to return coming out of the All-Star break, potentially providing a major boost to their bullpen for the second half of the season.

That’d seem to set up Raley to return right after the All-Star break if things go well. Raley had a 2.80 ERA in 54 2/3 innings for the Mets in 2023 and pitched seven scoreless innings last year before getting hurt, so he could turn into a key piece of the pen if he’s right.

Raley returned to the Mets earlier this week on a one-year contract with a club option for 2026. He’s likely to rejoin New York’s bullpen at some point in the second half. The procedural move opens up a 40-man roster spot for now.

Raley had Tommy John surgery 11 months ago. He could return to help the Mets pen in August or September.

The deal is also believed to include a club option for the 2026 season. The 36-year-old southpaw spent the 2024 season with the Mets, where he underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery back in May. He’s not expected to be ready to pitch again until late in the 2025 season. The Mets won’t need to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for long to add him, as he’ll presumably be placed right on the 60-day injured list once the deal is official.