Mets Sign Robert Stock To Major League Contract

The Mets announced Friday that right-hander Robert Stock has been signed to a one-year, Major League deal.  MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo specifies that Stock’s deal is a split contract, so the righty will earn differing salaries based on his time on New York’s active roster or in the minor leagues.

Stock turns 37 later this month, and is a veteran of six MLB seasons.  After posting a 4.71 ERA over 55 games and 72 2/3 innings with four big league teams during the 2018-21 seasons, Stock spent the next three seasons pitching in South Korea, Mexico, independent baseball, and with the Brewers’ Triple-A squad.  Stock returned to the majors in the form of two appearances and 2/2 innings for the 2025 Red Sox, and last winter signed a minors deal with the Mets.

It seemed like Stock’s 2026 campaign could be over before it even began, as he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last March.  However, Stock returned to minor league action by mid-June, and was selected to the Mets’ active roster at the beginning of August.  Stock started seven of his eight games for New York, and posted a 5.93 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 10.2% walk rate in 30 1/3 innings of work.

A bout of finger numbness ended Stock’s season in mid-September.  While such an issue is certainly troubling for a pitcher with his TOS history, the fact that the Mets have already made a move to re-sign Stock indicates that the club isn’t too concerned about his health.  Stock was averaging 95.8mph on his fastball this season, so his heater didn’t appear to be any worse for wear in the wake of his TOS surgery.

The contract puts Stock onto an open spot on New York’s 40-man roster, providing a bit of extra leverage for the team for future roster maneuvers this winter.  Stock is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to be DFA’ed in order for the Mets to try and send him down to Triple-A.  If Stock is designated for assignment, rival clubs might be less likely to claim him off waivers due to his slightly larger guaranteed salary for the big league portion of his split deal.

This would give the Mets a better chance of sneaking Stock through waivers and outrighting him to Triple-A, and while Stock has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agent, he might prefer to stay put due to the guaranteed money on his deal.  Assuming Stock does remain in the organization, he’ll act as rotation or bullpen depth for the Mets as the team continues its search for pitching this winter.