NEW YORK -- The Mets non-tendered a trio of bullpen arms on Friday, sending Danny Young, Max Kranick and José Castillo into free agency. The team tendered contracts to all their other players not under guaranteed contract except for outfielder Tyrone Taylor, who avoided arbitration with a new $3.8 million deal.
Friday was the deadline for teams to tender deals to any players in that camp. Mostly, clubs only non-tender arbitration-eligible players whose projected salaries begin to outstrip their projected production. In some cases, however, clubs will non-tender less experienced players like Young or Kranick because they value the vacant roster spot.
Young, 31, emerged as a left-on-left option for the Mets in 2024 before briefly becoming one of manager Carlos Mendoza’s most trusted lefties early this season. But he injured his elbow in April and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter. Although Young is likely to be ready at some point next season, the Mets added enough lefty depth to their bullpen to make him expendable.
Kranick, 28, avoided Tommy John surgery, instead undergoing a less serious operation to repair an issue with his right flexor tendon. Still, Kranick was out of Minor League options and set to miss time at the beginning of 2026, which is why the Mets moved on from him.
Castillo, 29, has no active injury concerns, but he had been a fringe roster piece throughout 2025.
Taylor, 31, performed well enough in 2024 to earn everyday reps down the stretch and in the postseason, but his production took a significant step back this year. Playing on a $3.025 million contract, Taylor posted a career-low .598 OPS to put his tender status in doubt. He still played top-tier defense in center field, however, while saving some of his best offensive play for the final two weeks of the season.
Taylor’s presence also eases some pressure off the Mets to find a center-field stopgap who can play the position until top-ranked prospect Carson Benge (the Mets' No. 2 prospect and No. 21 in MLB, per MLB Pipeline) is ready. The Mets could hand the keys to center back to Taylor, then either move on to Benge from there, or find a midseason replacement from outside the organization if necessary.
Several of the Mets’ other arbitration-eligible players -- Francisco Alvarez, David Peterson and Luis Torrens -- were all locks to be tendered contracts. But not all of them. Tylor Megill and Reed Garrett, for instance, are both recovering from Tommy John surgery just like Young. But because Megill and Garrett remain under team control beyond 2026, Mets officials estimated that it will be worth paying them to rehab next season in hopes that they can contribute again in 2027 and beyond.