Mets Cut Ties With Former Top Prospect; Agree to New Deal With Reliever

The New York Mets non-tendered a former top prospect and two pitchers. They also agreed to a new deal with a reliever.

Feb 26, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets outfielder Alex Ramirez crosses the plate to score as Washington Nationals catcher Brady Lindsly waits on the ball during the seventh inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The New York Mets non-tendered a total of three players on Friday night, including a former top prospect.

Outfielder Alex Ramirez, right-handed relief pitcher Grant Hartwig and lefty reliever Alex Young were among the trio the Mets opted to cut ties with. New York signed righty reliever Sean Reid-Foley to a new one-year contract to avoid arbitration.

Ramirez and Hartwig were both not arbitration-eligible, but their departures open up two spots on the Mets' 40-man roster.

The Mets also tendered contracts to pitchers Paul Blackburn, David Peterson and Tylor Megill, as well as catcher Luis Torrens and outfielders Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor, all of whom were arbitration-eligible.

Ramirez, 21, was once the highest ranked outfielder in the Mets' farm system and was their No. 4 prospect in 2023. However, he struggled offensively the past two seasons in High-A ball and Double-A.

Ramirez's best minor league season came in 2022, where he slashed .281/.346/.436 with a .782 OPS, 11 home runs and 71 RBIs in 121 games between Low-A and High-A. For that, the Mets chose not to trade the center fielder in a deal that would have sent him and Dom Smith to the Boston Red Sox for J.D. Martinez at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Hartwig posted a 5.14 ERA for the Mets across the past two seasons in 32 relief appearances. The 26-year-old missed the entire second half of the 2024 campaign after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Young was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants in July, and produced a 3.29 ERA with the Mets in 13.2 innings out of the bullpen.

Reid-Foley had a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings for the Mets in 2024, but dealt with a recurring shoulder impingement issue that prematurely ended his season in June. The 29-year-old has dealt with a slew of injuries since joining the Mets in 2021.

There was some question as to whether the Mets would non-tender Blackburn, but they chose to keep him given their need for starting pitching. Blackburn was acquired from the Oakland Athletics at the trade deadline, but saw his season end in late-August due to a spinal leak injury. Blackburn underwent a cerebrospinal fluid leak repair procedure in October that is expected to sideline him for 4-5 months. The 30-year-old is entering his final year under team control in 2025.