The Adbert Alzolay rehabilitation project is officially over, and the former Cubs closer will leave the Mets organization without ever throwing a pitch in Queens.
Syracuse released the right-hander on July 1 after 14 minor-league appearances. His Mets stint closed with a 1-1 record and a 7.36 ERA, a harsh return for a pitcher New York signed in January 2025 while he was working back from Tommy John surgery.
Cutting a struggling Triple-A reliever will not make or break the upcoming series in Atlanta. Still, it highlights a glaring issue. The Mets are desperate for bullpen help, and Alzolay could not provide it. A team sitting at 36-51 after losing 10 of its previous 12 games cannot keep waiting on depth arms that are not close to helping.
Why the Mets took the chance
The logic behind the Alzolay signing made sense at the time.
He was not far removed from a strong 2023 season with Chicago, when he became a trusted late-inning arm. Alzolay appeared in 58 games, threw 64 innings, saved 22 games and posted a 2.67 ERA. At his best, he attacked hitters with power stuff and looked like the kind of reliever who could handle pressure innings.
Then the injuries took over.
A right forearm injury derailed his 2024 campaign, ultimately forcing him into Tommy John surgery. After the Cubs moved on, the Mets had a chance to make a patient, low-cost bet.
New York did not sign him expecting instant help. The club knew 2025 would largely be about recovery. The hope was that Alzolay could rebuild his arm, regain his old stuff and become a useful bullpen piece in 2026. For a team that often hunts for pitching depth, that was a reasonable flyer.
The problem was the return. Alzolay worked his way through rehab assignments in the Mets system and was activated by Syracuse in early June. Once he reached Triple-A, the results never gave the front office much reason to push him toward Queens.
His final Syracuse line only made the decision easier. In a blowout loss to Worcester, Alzolay recorded just 2 outs while allowing 4 hits and 4 earned runs. He did not walk a batter, but he also did not record a strikeout. For a pitcher trying to prove his stuff had returned, that outing left little room for optimism.
The Braves series adds context, not drama
The Atlanta timing matters, but only to a point.
Atlanta is not preparing around Alzolay. The Mets are not worse in the major-league bullpen because a Triple-A rehab project got released. This is not that kind of transaction.
What it does show is how little room New York has for stalled projects. A healthy and effective Alzolay could have been a useful July option. Even if he was not closing games, the Mets could have used another experienced arm at a time when every inning matters.
Instead, the gap between the 2023 version and the current version looked too large. New York gave him the runway. Syracuse gave him the innings. Results did not hold up.
That makes the release somewhat ironic. Alzolay once looked like the exact type of rebound candidate the Mets would try to squeeze value from. In this case, they had already made that bet. They waited through the rehab track, gave him minor-league innings and then cut him loose.
Fan reaction reflected that frustration. The public response was less about Alzolay as an individual player and more about the state of the Mets. A club with playoff expectations has spent too much of the season searching for usable arms, patched innings and short-term answers. One Mets fan summed up that exhaustion on X: “If any other team besides the Mets released him, the Mets would have picked him up and signed him.”
Someone else will likely take a flier on him. A pitcher with 22 saves in a recent season rarely stays unemployed for long, even with elbow surgery on his medical chart.
For the Mets, the decision was simple by the end. They did not need Alzolay to be perfect. What they needed were signs that he could become a real bullpen option again.
Those signs did not arrive in Syracuse, so New York moved on before the Atlanta series.
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FAQS
1. Why did the Mets release Adbert Alzolay?
The Mets released Adbert Alzolay after his rehab bid stalled at Triple-A Syracuse. He had a 7.36 ERA in 14 minor-league games.
2. Did Adbert Alzolay pitch for the Mets?
No. Alzolay did not throw a major-league pitch for the Mets before his release.
3. When did the Mets sign Adbert Alzolay?
The Mets signed Alzolay in January 2025 while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.
4. Why did the Mets take a chance on Alzolay?
Alzolay saved 22 games for the Cubs in 2023. That late-inning success made him a reasonable low-cost bullpen flyer.
5. Could another team sign Adbert Alzolay?
Yes. Another club could still take a chance on him because recent closing experience usually keeps a reliever on the radar.
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