PHILADELPHIA -- The Mets have signed their top 2026 Draft selection, right-handed pitcher Carson Wiggins, the club announced on Wednesday. The agreement is for $3,466,500, according to a source, which is the full slot value for the 27th overall pick in last weekend’s Draft.
“Wiggins is an electric arm, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the organization,” Mets vice president of amateur scouting Kris Gross said in a statement. “He’s an elite athlete that offers premium velocity, two swing-and-miss breaking pitches, and an emerging changeup. We are confident he will continue to grow in our player development system and are excited to watch what he can do.”
Wiggins, 21, boasts a fastball that reached 102 mph during his lone season at the University of Arkansas. Ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 88 Draft prospect, Wiggins tore his UCL as a freshman at Arkansas last spring, leading to Tommy John surgery with an internal brace. But he is back to full health and, now that he’s signed, could appear in Minor League games later this summer. At a pre-Draft bullpen session, Wiggins was throwing in the upper 90s again.
The younger brother of Cubs Top 100 prospect Jaxon Wiggins, Carson also features an upper-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.
“We’re really excited about the repertoire he’s working with,” Gross said on Draft day. “We think he’s going to be a really damn good pitcher. Frontline upside. That was a real attraction with Carson.”
COMPLETE METS PROSPECT COVERAGE
The Mets have inked their top Draft pick every year since 2021, when they left Kumar Rocker unsigned due to injury concerns. (Rocker has since pitched in parts of three Major League seasons with the Rangers, who took him third overall the following summer.) Last year, the team signed 18 of its 19 Draft selections, focusing mostly on college players.
This year, the Mets’ top signability concern is probably high school catcher Jacob Madrid, Pipeline’s 171st-ranked Draft prospect who fell to the Mets in the 13th round due to a strong commitment to the University of Oregon. On Draft day, however, team officials expressed optimism that they will be able to sign Madrid.
The deadline to sign Draft picks is July 27.