The Mets announced that right-hander Reed Garrett underwent ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, better known as Tommy John surgery, yesterday. He will miss the entire 2026 season. Jorge Castillo of ESPN was among those to relay the message.
The news does not come as a surprise. Elbow issues put him on the injured list multiple times this year and he finished the season on the IL. It was reported in September that he had been recommended for Tommy John surgery but he was still exploring other options. It seems he exhausted the non-surgical alternatives and eventually succumbed to his fate.
It’s an unfortunate blow for the righty, who was previously engineering a nice late-bloomer breakout. With the Mets last year, in his age-31 season, he tossed 57 1/3 innings with a 3.77 earned run average. His 12.1% walk rate was on the high side but he struck out 33.6% of batters faced and got grounders on 44.3% of balls in play. He earned four saves and 14 holds. His results this year were somewhat comparable. He logged 55 1/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, 10.9% walk rate, 40.4% ground ball rate, three saves and 20 holds.
The Mets could stash him on the 60-day injured list next year but they would have to keep him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter, as there’s no injured list between the World Series and the start of spring training. Garrett is also highly likely to qualify for arbitration as a Super Two player. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Garrett for a bump to $1.4MM next year. The Mets obviously wouldn’t get anything out of that investment with Garrett set to miss the season, but he would still be under club control for three seasons after that.
Despite the potential long-term control, Garrett is 32 now and would be going into his age-34 season by the time he’s healthy. That means it’s also possible he gets non-tendered and re-signed via a minor league deal, though other clubs would have a chance to talk to him in that scenario.
The Mets will likely be looking to undergo a major bullpen overhaul before next season. Edwin Díaz has a chance to opt out of his contract and will almost certainly do so unless the Mets extend him. Ryne Stanek, Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto are all impending free agents. Brooks Raley could be retained via club option, if the Mets so choose. Guys like Max Kranick, Frankie Montas, Dedniel Núñez and Danny Young are going to miss the start of next season due to major surgeries and now Garrett’s name is added to the list.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images