New York Mets fans unhappy whenever the team makes any sort of minor league deal had an extra grievance to air on Festivus. The 23rd of December is a recognized national holiday about getting things off your chest. David Stearns gave his haters another minor league signing to chomp on.

Tyler Burch, a 28-year-old righty who has yet to get above Double-A, has managed to win himself a 2-year minor league contract with the Mets.

The Mets have signed right-hander Tyler Burch to a two-year Minor League deal, per source. He is coming off elbow surgery but will be ready to pitch in 2026.

Burch owns a career 3.71 ERA across 174.2 minor league innings between the Orioles and Phillies organizations.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 23, 2025

Burch pitched only 9.1 innings in 2024 and missed all of last season due to elbow surgery. Expected to be back and ready for 2026, it’s more tchotchke than anything else.

Tyler Burch is a strange player for the Mets to take a flier on

The 3.71 ERA at all levels isn’t particularly great, especially when we see it at 4.59 in Double-A. His 8.1 K/9 rate in Double-A was down from the lower minor leagues where he pitched far better.

It’s not an addition to draw too many emotions. Ranked as the 39th Baltimore Orioles prospect prior to the 2022 season, Burch was at least one point a minor leaguer headed in the right direction until his injury.

This move is completely on the scouting department and would take more than a glance at his Baseball-Reference Page to fully comprehend the “why” of it. The two-year deal seems a bit unusual for a player who was never held in such high regard. Undrafted and later signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, he spent all of last year sitting on the IL for the Colorado Rockies who took him in the Rule 5 Draft.

It might be for the best that he never had an opportunity to pitch in Colorado. Being employed by the Rockies can quickly kill a pitcher’s career if he’s not ready. The Mets will go to work trying to get the most out of him in the minors with two years to make something happen.

You want to prove your pitching lab employs magicians, you turn a player like Burch into a late bloomer who gets to the majors. It’s a unique deal to give him two years coming off of a major injury without the past success or hype to comprehend.