Carl

Edwards Jr.

The 34-year-old hurler elected free agency from the Mets after he was sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the week. Given his experience and veteran moxie, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get an opportunity to pitch out of a depleted Tigers’ bullpen in relatively short order.

Edwards Jr. initially elected free agency but eventually agreed on a minor league deal to stay with the Mets. He has registered a 1.50 ERA with an 11/4 K/BB ratio across six MLB innings this season.

It’s entirely possible that Edwards winds up back in New York on a new minor league pact in short order. The well-traveled 34-year-old reliever went unclaimed on waivers after being removed from the club’s 40-man roster last week. He’s posted a 1.50 ERA with an 11/4 K/BB ratio across six innings this season in the big leagues.

This is an interesting move. Edwards Jr. threw 2 2/3 innings on Wednesday, so the Mets clearly felt that they needed a fresh arm in the bullpen; however, he has allowed only one run on three hits in six innings for the Mets this season while striking out 11 batters and walking four. There’s a chance some team claims him on waivers.

Edwards will look to fill in some innings for the big club after Christian Scott forced two Mets long relievers to pitch on Thursday by not getting out of the second. Edwards has essentially functioned as an up-and-down reliever after two successful years in Washington in 2022 and 2023 — this is his fourth team since then and he’s recorded just five major league appearances in that timespan. He had a 5.29 ERA and 1.47 WHIP for Syracuse in four starts.

Lambert comes as a bit of a surprise, as he had looked sharp during Grapefruit League play. He should get an opportunity to work out of the Mets’ bullpen at some point in 2026. Edwards will continue to work as a starter at Triple-A Syracuse where he adds quality rotation depth that will be needed throughout the season.

Edwards struck out four batters on the evening. He fired 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes in the contest, generating eight swings and misses (five on his fastball) while posting a CSW of 21 percent. The 34-year-old right-hander has certainly opened some eyes this spring, registering a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio across 8 2/3 innings of work. While he’s not going to crack the Opening Day rotation, it sounds like he’ll open the season as extra starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level and should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the season.

Could this be another bullpen-to-rotation transition for the Mets? Edwards has only ever been a reliever in the big leagues, posting a 3.56 ERA across 286 innings throughout his career, but he did start in Mexico last season and then in seven games at Triple-A for the Rangers, posting a 5.31 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 26-percent strikeout rate. It seems more likely the Mets keep Edwards in the bullpen, and he’ll also likely only serve as organizational depth, but he’s an interesting name to watch in spring training.

Edwards will test the open market after refusing a late-September outright minor league assignment from the Rangers. The 34-year-old journeyman reliever made a pair of appearances for Texas before being cut loose. He’s made 300 career appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2015.

Edwards figures to elect free agency and get a head start on the offseason after passing through waivers unclaimed. The well-traveled 34-year-old veteran reliever was designated for assignment last week by the Rangers after making a pair of appearances.