Xzavion Curry’s latest stop with the Mets ended the way so many fringe pitching gigs do: abruptly, and with no real warning. On Thursday, New York designated the former Guardians right-hander for assignment to clear a spot for waiver claim Philip Abner, putting Curry on the waiver wire with just three days left in the season.
It’s a rough turn at a rough time. Curry has logged 21 1/3 innings out of the Mets bullpen this year as a longman, a role that mattered even if the team was already well out of the postseason race by the time he was used. Now, instead of simply riding out the final days of the season, he’s in limbo.
If he clears waivers, Curry would have the option to reject a minor league assignment and become a minor league free agent this offseason. And while the Mets were probably headed toward a non-tender after the season anyway, this move adds another reminder of how thin the margin is for pitchers hanging around the edge of a major league roster.
Curry has settled into that in-between category baseball knows so well: a Quad-A arm. He was productive enough at Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted a 3.36 ERA across 72 1/3 innings, but he hasn’t been able to turn that into steady big league success.
The Mets gave him three separate chances in the majors this season, but his most recent one went sideways fast. Last week, Curry was tagged for six runs in three innings, then sent back to Syracuse. He bounced back with a scoreless two-inning outing there, but the Triple-A season ended last weekend, leaving him without much runway as teams begin trimming down depth arms they don’t see as part of the future.
Abner, the pitcher who took Curry’s place, has had a much better run in Triple-A than in the majors. Since the start of 2024, he’s put up a 3.18 ERA in 130 1/3 innings at that level, and the Mets decided that was enough to keep him around through the offseason.
For Curry, the timing couldn’t be worse. After a quiet winter last year, he had to go to the Mexican League before eventually landing his first minor league deal with the Mets. Now he’s back in uncertainty, with another offseason suddenly looking a lot less secure.
In Other News...
Guardians Clinched But Boston Still Holds A Huge Playoff Swing
The Guardians have already locked up their third straight trip to the postseason, thanks to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox that assured Cleveland a seat in October. What comes next still matters plenty, though, because the clubs final seeding and first-round path are tied to how Boston fares in a doubleheader against the Cubs.
A noreaster forced that makeup day into the schedule, and MLB is even weighing whether one of the games needs to be shifted to Tropicana Field. For Cleveland, the math is simple enough: Bostons results will help determine whether the Guardians get to host the ALDS or are headed to the Wild Card series, leaving the bracket picture unsettled for at least another day. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Reached October On A Fenway Swing Fans Wont Believe
Angel Martinez gave Cleveland the jolt it needed at Fenway, sending a 319-foot homer into the night and lifting the Guardians to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox. The victory punched their ticket to the postseason and kept them one game ahead in the AL Central, with the division still within reach as the final stretch tightened.
For a club that has leaned on run prevention all season, the formula held up again in Boston. Clevelands pitching staff blanked the Red Sox from start to finish, and the kind of slim-margin win that can define October left the Guardians with both a playoff berth secured and a division race still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Risky Division Gamble With Their Rotation
With a playoff berth already secured, the Guardians are now balancing one more goal that still matters a great deal: the AL Central title. Chicago is right there with them, and the last few days of the schedule could decide the division, which is why the conversation has shifted from just getting in to how far Cleveland should push to win the bracket it wants. The next step comes against the Royals, while the White Sox line up against the Rockies, setting up a finish that could come down to the final day.
That is where the rotation debate gets interesting. Analyst Ken Carman has floated the idea of turning to Parker Messick in the final game if Cleveland needs a win to take the division, even though doing so could limit how available he is for the Wild Card Round. It is the kind of late-season gamble contenders face when the standings are tight, with one eye on the immediate prize and the other on what comes next if the division chase does not break their way. [Read more 🡒]