New York Mets select contract of former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander

Now 34, Carl Edwards Jr has shown flashes of effectiveness in past stints with the Cubs and Nationals, though he’s seen very limited major league action over the past two seasons.

Across 2024 and 2025, he’s appeared in just five games, totaling six innings, while spending most of his time at the Triple-A level with the Padres, Cubs, Rangers, and Angels organizations.

Throughout his big league career, Edwards has been used exclusively as a reliever, with all 300 of his MLB appearances coming out of the bullpen.

That said, he’s recently experimented with a different role in the minors. He made starts for Triple-A affiliates in San Diego’s system in 2024 and Texas’ system in 2025, and he’s continued in a starting role with Syracuse this season.

In Syracuse, Edwards has started four games, posting a 5.29 ERA over 17 innings. His strikeout rate has dipped to 18.5%, below his usual standard, and he’s had some issues with command.

Despite those struggles, the Mets are in need of innings. In their most recent game, their starter exited in the second inning, forcing heavy usage from the bullpen.

David Peterson and Tobias Myers each threw 40-plus pitches in long relief and are unlikely to be available for the next game, creating an opportunity for Edwards to step in.

If he does take the mound, the Mets will become the ninth MLB team Edwards has played for since debuting in 2015.

He was notably part of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series-winning bullpen and owns a career 3.56 ERA over 286 innings in the majors, along with a 28% strikeout rate, 12.7% walk rate, 42.1% ground-ball rate, and 0.88 home runs allowed per nine innings.

Because Edwards is out of minor league options, this move could be short-lived.

A likely outcome is that he’s designated for assignment and exposed to waivers after providing some temporary relief.

Even so, any time spent on the active roster will continue to add to his more than seven years of MLB service time.

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