Key Mets reliever undergoes Tommy John surgery

Garrett has been one of the Mets' most reliable relievers over the last couple of seasons. As such, the team will have to pivot to other bullpen options for the 2026 campaign.

The 32-year-old was initially claimed off waivers by New York from the Baltimore Orioles in June 2023, and he went on to make nine appearances for the Mets. In those nine games, he posted a 5.82 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 17 innings pitched.

During his first full season with the Mets in 2024, Garrett had his best season yet in the major leagues. In 53 games, the right-hander went 8-5 with a 3.77 ERA, 83 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.40 in 57.1 innings pitched. Garrett also made seven relief outings during the Mets' postseason run last year, logging a 5.40 ERA across 8.1 innings.

This past season, however, was an up-and-down year for Garrett. The 32-year-old got off to a great start in 2025 by not allowing an earned run in his first 13 relief outings of the season. Garrett followed up his impressive April by posting a 1.38 ERA in 12 appearances in May and recording two saves.

Garrett's season would soon spiral downwards. In nine relief outings in June, he went 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA, while walking five batters in just 7.1 innings of work. Although Garrett would fare much better in July by logging a 3.97 ERA in 11 games, the ensuing months of his season weren't pretty.

In nine games (one start) during the month of August, Garrett posted a dismal 8.00 ERA and allowed three home runs throughout that stretch. The veteran was placed on the 15-day injured list towards the end of August due to right elbow inflammation.

Despite returning just a few weeks later, the righty hurler would be placed back on the injured list on September 18 with a right elbow sprain, effectively ending his season.

It is worth mentioning that Garrett's workload has increased dramatically since 2024. Outside of his two years pitching for the Saitama Seibu Lions in Japan (appearing in 110 games across 2020 and 2021), the 32-year-old had only pitched in 31 MLB contests from 2019 to 2023. Over the last two seasons, the Mets have summoned Garrett 111 times, and that extreme usage may have resulted in this devastating injury.

After seeing their bullpen struggle and being overused due to the Mets' starters failing to go deep into their starts, the loss of Garrett for all of next year will hurt immensely. With All-Star closer Edwin Díaz having an opt-out in his contract this offseason, the bullpen will be one of the biggest areas that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has to address.