New York Mets make a decision on Max Kranick

The Mets are non-tendering RHP Max Kranick as the reliever works back from elbow surgery.

May 4, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets pitcher Max Kranick (32) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images | Tim Vizer-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have made their decision on Max Kranick, choosing to non-tender the right-hander ahead of Friday's 8 PM deadline, per The Athletic's Will Sammon.

Kranick's strong season was derailed by an elbow injury in June that resulted in flexor tendon repair surgery in August. While he avoided Tommy John, Kranick is expected to miss most of the 2026 campaign, if not all.

The Mets are non-tendering RHP Max Kranick, league sources said. He had flexor tendon repair surgery last summer. In 37 innings last season with the Mets, Kranick had a 3.65 ERA.

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) November 21, 2025

Read More: New York Mets reliever given faster injury timeline

The Mets' decision does not rule out a reunion with Kranick, who has no minor league options left. By handing out the non-tender, the club saves a spot on the 40-man roster throughout the winter while reserving the right to re-sign Kranick to let him rehab within the organization.

This would be a wise option as Kranick, when healthy, looked to be a great option out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old had an impressive start to the year, posting a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings through the end of April. He began to struggle in May, likely connected to the flexor strain that eventually shut him down on June 15th.

Kranick finished the season 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 24 appearances (37 innings). This was the right-hander's first MLB action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2022 when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kranick saw no action with the Pirates after his return in September 2023, and was claimed by the Mets in January 2024 days after his DFA from Pittsburgh.

In his first year with the Mets, Kranick made a few appearances for the Single–A St. Lucie Mets and the Double–A Binghamton Rumble Ponies before landing with in Triple-A with the Syracuse Mets. There, he made 41 appearances (six starts) and held a 3.57 ERA with 53 strikeouts across 63 innings. Following a strong offseason and spring training, Kranick was named to the 2025 Opening Day roster.

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Max Kranick comes in for A.J. Minter and gets two HUGE outs to get the Mets through the 8th 👏 pic.twitter.com/HffjM0adQy

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 26, 2025

Losing Kranick was a major blow for a Mets bullpen that crumbled in the second half of the season. David Stearns was aggressive in looking to bolster this unit at the trade deadline with Ryan Helsley, Gregory Soto, and Tyler Rogers, but the moves ultimately fell flat amid the club's historic slide out of a postseason position.

Read More: Mets expected to move on from lefty reliever

The Mets also non-tendered left-handed reliever Danny Young, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May after just 10 appearances. With Helsley, Soto, and Rogers all free agents and Reed Garrett also out for 2026 after Tommy John surgery, New York's bullpen will look drastically different on Opening Day next March.

Current options within the organization include A.J. Minter (exercised his player option), Brooks Raley (had his club option picked up), Huascar Brazoban (arbitration eligible), Jonathan Pintaro, and Dylan Ross. Outside of them, the Mets will be forced to explore many external options to fix the bullpen that contributed to the club's terrible collapse at the end of the season.