The New York Mets have reached an agreement with right-handed pitcher Mike Baumann on an undisclosed contract, according to reports. The 30-year-old returns to Major League Baseball after a stint in Japan. Details on whether the deal is for the major or minor leagues remain unclear.
The New York Mets announced an agreement with free-agent right-hander Mike Baumann, as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The team, which currently holds a full 40-man roster, would need to create space if the contract places Baumann on the major league side—a development described as surprising given his recent performance.
Baumann, 30, spent the 2025 season with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league. There, he pitched 15 innings at the top level with a 4.20 ERA, striking out 25.3% of batters while walking 16%. In the minors, he appeared in 11 innings with a 4.09 ERA, a 20.9% strikeout rate, and an 11.6% walk rate. His time overseas followed a turbulent 2024 MLB campaign.
Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2017, Baumann debuted in the majors in 2021 and accumulated 167 1/3 innings over four seasons with a 4.95 ERA, 20% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate, and 42.7% ground-ball rate. His pitching arsenal includes a four-seamer and sinker in the upper 90s mph, a low-90s slider, and high-80s knuckle curve and changeup. However, after exhausting his options in 2023, Baumann bounced between five teams in 2024: the Orioles, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, and Miami Marlins, via trades and waiver claims.
Seeking stability abroad after that peripatetic year, Baumann's Japanese experiment did not yield dominance. Now back with the Mets on what is presumed to be a non-roster invitation—allowing depth without immediate roster impact—he faces the challenge of earning a spot. As an out-of-options player, securing and maintaining a major league role will be difficult amid New York's competitive bullpen.
