2) Joey Gerber
An early Mets transaction was picking up Joey Gerber for cash from the Tampa Bay Rays. DFA’d, he’s a 28-year-old with only 20 innings of MLB experience. He pitched terribly in Triple-A last year with an ERA over 6.00. He defied the odds by having a 2.08 albeit in only 4.1 innings spanning 2 games. There’s not much to read into that.
Gerber has managed to survive the long offseason which seems to have included more players than the past two coming in and exiting before ever picking up a baseball. He has one minor league option remaining, adding some value to the Mets depth chart. The Mets love to carry optional relievers like him. It’s a bit lonely right now with three spots occupied by pitchers who’ll miss all of the 2026 season.
Gerber is very replaceable and maybe even someone who would get overlooked in waivers. If the Rays were willing to give up on him, there’s a sure sign there may be some limitations.
Minor league options haven’t stopped the Mets from DFA’ing players before. Maybe the best example was how they called up Dom Hamel last September for one game and DFA’d him after. Gerber could meet the same fate in a roster crunch situation.