Mets Outright Four Players Off 40-Man Roster

The Mets have outrighted outfielder Cristian Pache, infielder Eric Wagaman, left-hander Philip Abner, and right-hander Cameron Weston off their 40-man roster, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports.  This brings New York’s 40-man roster down to 39 players, putting the team in better shape prior to tomorrow’s deadline for 40-man roster compliance.

Pache and Wagaman were the only members of the group to see any MLB action with the Mets in 2026, as Abner and Weston were both September waiver claims (from the Giants and Orioles, respectively).  New York designated Pache for assignment three days ago, and since he has been outrighted in the past, he can and probably will elect free agency instead of accepting the outright assignment.

Pache signed a minors deal with the Amazins last winter, and was selected to the active roster just after the trade deadline.  Of Pache’s 15 games with the Mets, he made only one start and was mostly used as a late-game defensive replacement, so he had only eight plate appearances.  Pache has only a .514 OPS over his 618 career PA in the majors, and will likely again hit the open market in search of another team looking for speed and outfield depth.

Wagaman also has a past outright on his resume, so he’ll likely be headed to free agency as well.  New York claimed Wagaman off waivers from the Twins in April, and he was shuttled back and forth between Triple-A and the majors several times (and was DFA’ed and outrighted in May).  In the midst of all these roster shuffles, Wagaman hit .191/.269/.319 in 52 PA for New York, while chipping in at both corner infield and corner outfield slots.

Since Wagaman has two minor league option years remaining, he has something of an advantage in free agency.  Teams looking for roster flexibility may prefer adding Wagaman over a similar player who’s out of options, giving Wagaman a better chance at landing a job even if it means another season of riding the minors-to-majors shuttle.

Abner was a sixth-round pick for the Diamondbacks in the 2023 draft, and he was a member of Arizona’s organization until this past August, when he was DFA’ed and then claimed by San Francisco.  Over 22 2/3 innings at the big league, Abner has a 6.75 ERA and almost as many walks (14) as strikeouts (15), but he has posted much better strikeout numbers and shown better control at the Triple-A level.  The Mets were able to get through waivers without a claim this time around, so he’ll stick around as a depth arm in the minors.

Weston was an eighth-round pick for Baltimore in the 2022 draft, and he made his MLB debut this season by throwing a scoreless inning (with one walk and one strikeout) in the Orioles’ 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays on May 28.  This cup of coffee marks Weston’s only bit of big league action, as though both the O’s and Mets called him back up to the majors for brief stints, Weston didn’t receive any more time on the mound.

Weston’s numbers started to taper off once he reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025, and he struggled at Triple-A Norfolk before delivering a 1.42 ERA in 6 1/3 relief innings over four games with the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate.  Albeit a very small sample size, it could be a sign that Weston is better suited for relief pitching, and this could be his way forward in New York’s farm system.