The Mets announced that they have selected right-hander Justin Garza to their major league roster. Left-hander Brandon Waddell was optioned in a corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster had two vacancies, so their count climbs from 38 to 39.
Garza, 31, started the season on a minor league contract with the Giants. This past weekend, the Mets acquired him, sending some cash considerations to San Francisco in return. He has tossed 17 2/3 innings over 19 Triple-A appearances this year. His 6.11 earned run average in that time is obviously not great but there are other metrics that the Mets are presumably more interested in.
The righty has been averaging over 96 miles per hour on his fastballs this year. When he was last in the majors, he was in the 93-95 mph range. His 26% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate this year are both strong numbers. However, he has allowed a .340 batting average on balls in play. His 68.6% strand rate is a bit low. He has also allowed four home runs, a rate of 22.2% per fly ball. That work has come in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, so perhaps the Mets are hoping that Garza’s skills will play better in a different setting. Citi Field is generally pitcher-friendly but can be close to neutral when it comes to home runs.
Garza does have some major league experience, with a 5.74 ERA, 21% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate in 47 innings. That poor control has also been a feature of his minor league work. From 2021 to 2023, he logged 102 2/3 innings on the farm with 3.94 ERA and 27.4% strikeout rate but a 12.4% walk rate. Last year, he only walked 8% of Triple-A batters he faced and has stayed in that range in 2025.
Though his major league track record isn’t great, adding velocity while improving control is an intriguing step forward, so the Mets will give him a fresh chance. He has a couple of option years remaining, which surely adds to the appeal, as he can be sent to Syracuse and back fairly freely if he holds down a 40-man roster spot.
Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images
The next Reed Garrett.
I trust in Stearns, but didn’t Waddell look ok, and as a lefty no less?
“I trust in Stearns”…Stearns looks like a genius so far. Trust the process.
Never said I didn’t. I just don’t understand it.
Yes, Waddell looked OK. But he, Brazoban, and Garrett are the only ones in the pen with options. Not hard to see him being regarded as the least essential of the three. Plus, Blackburn – out of options – is now available tp provide long innings out of the pen.
Yup. Waddell will likely be back at some point this season
judging by their bullpen management this year, he’ll probably be optioned or DFA’d by tomorrow
Their bullpen management? Look around. Its not just the Mets its every team. Relievers are being DFA’d on a daily basis… multiple relievers on most days. Its just the state of baseball these days.
There once was a pitcher named Chuck Churn. He had the perfect name for how relief pitchers are used these days.
Chuck a couoke of innings and get churned off the roster.
Don’t understand that move by the boy genius (Stearns)… That means there only carrying 1 lefty in the pen now ? Unless Waddell was injured or there going to make another acquisition.
“Don’t understand that move”…We as fans will often not understand moves, because we’re not privy to inside knowledge on work ethic, behavior, potential trades, practice habits and injury information etc..
I shared the philosophy with Mets fans 1000s of times online going back to 1997. No one listened. Most were combative.
@ mlb fan Everything you’re saying is true. But in today’s game, even more relevant is what the pitching lab analytics think they can do to fix the player in question.
The Lab works fast !
How about that. Stuck in AAA and seemingly well down the Giants pecking order, to a mlb spot on the team with the best record. Positive things going on for Garza. Good luck to him.
Second best record.
A 6 ERA relief pitcher, just what we needed! Fujinami had a lower ERA in the minors last year and he never even got a chance. Reward the worst, not who is doing the best, the David Stearns way
You have to be a troll. Stearns has turned this team into what you should always have wanted
@sfes what has Justin Garza shown to prove that he is a major league reliever? Good teams like the Dodgers trade for guys who have had success and try to fix them up, like Alexis Diaz. That is what smart teams do. The Mets sign/trade for guys who were never any good
but it mostly works out
@ sfes LOL, I guess you’re new around here. Yes, he’s a troll, and to the extreme. He also has a bizarre fascination with how great he believes Fujinami is.
@geofft oh I know I’ve seen him off his meds quite a few times but now I’m starting to think it’s all just an act for attention. Is it even possible to be that much of a living meme?
@ sfes You’re absolutely right. I had been ignoring him and I should have stuck to that.
ROFLMAO at LGM Okay, just ignore the reality that ERA is a relatively meaningless stat for relievers. But even if it mattered, Fujinami’s ERA last year was higher than Garza’s is this. These are fringe players on the outer edges of the roster. Garza may be here for a day and be optioned down again. Making an issue out of these minor moves is just foolishness.
@geofft all it takes is for one of these guys to come in and give up 5 to 6 runs to blow a game up. Every inning matters. Look at Skenes, he goes 8 innings no runs and their bullpen blows it
@LFG Yes. But where have you been these last five years?? This is just the state of the game today. Team uses 30 to 40 pitchers over the course of a season. Many of them, especially relievers, are not bona fide major leaguers. But thats just where the game is right now. Starters average only 5 innings and change – thats average – and BOTR’s don’t even go that far half the time. So bullpens get worn out, and teams need to call up scrubs because the worn out regulars are not available to pitch.
I wonder if, when Montas and Manaea get back, we might see the Mets do more piggybacking of the back end starters like they did yesterday with Megill and Blackburn.
@geofft I’d rather see them do what the WhiteSox did with Chris Sale for their younger starting pitching prospects like Tong, McClean and Sproat. Put those guys in the bullpen and then let them take over the spots of Canning, Peterson, and Megill/Montas next year if they do well as relievers. The prospects are better then these random relievers that they are signing
Once again, you’re wrong and Garza looked good.
Fuji had a higher era last year and Fuji’s SO / BB ratio was roughly 1 : 1. For a power pitcher that is very bad. Even this year he actually has more walks than strikeouts. Should this be rewarded?
Garza atleast had respectable AAA numbers. last season he was homer prone in the PCL this year that tends to be more homer prone which makes me think it is a slight tweek needed like pitch selection. Also no wild pitches or hit bats man with a 3 : 1 SO to walk ratio. So worth a shot.