Andres Chavez
The New York Mets keep making sure their pool of pitching options for the upper minors and the majors remains large. It’s one of the organizational priorities, in fact: signing cheap, but talented arms on low-risk contracts and giving them the tools to improve and realize their potential.
On Monday, it was announced that the Mets reached an agreement with a minor league veteran who hasn’t reached the big leagues yet.
“The Mets have signed right-hander Kevin Gowdy to a minor league deal retroactive to March 16 and have assigned him to Double-A Binghamton. Gowdy, 28, owns a career 5.19 ERA in 186 appearances (341 2/3 innings). He has reached as high as Triple-A,” Mets writer Aaron Shamilov, who covers the team for Last Word On Sports, posted on X.
The Mets’ Modus Operandi
The Mets have added a lot of talent on minor league contracts in the 2025-26 offseason. Some of these players are Tyler Burch, Ofreidy Gomez, Kevin Herget, Robinson Martinez, Zach Peek, Jun-Seok Shim, and Cristian Pache. And there are more.
Gowdy was the first pick of the second round (42nd overall) in the 2016 MLB Draft, taken by the Philadelphia Phillies. His draft position suggests significant potential, but he hasn’t been able to reach his ceiling yet.
Gowdy pitched the 2025 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, leaving a 5.25 ERA in 36 innings. He struck out eight batters per nine frames, but also walked five per nine.
Gowdy was a starter for most of his early career with the Phillies, but the Texas Rangers switched him to relief in 2022, with mixed results. The problem is that the upper minors have been particularly challenging for the righty.
One Last Shot
Injuries have gotten in his way and taken away some important development time over the years, probably affecting him to this point. Still, he hasn’t been able to show major-league-level consistency with his career, and the stats back that up.
In addition to ample minor league experience, Gowdy also had a short stint with Diablos Rojos de Mexico of the Mexican League in 2025, with a 4.50 ERA in four frames.
The Mets will try to leverage his considerable height (he checks in at 6’4”) and get him to throw harder and improve his stuff. At this point, Gowdy is probably not making the big leagues if he isn’t willing to overhaul his mechanics and pitch mix, so the team is willing to be creative, and the pitcher appears open to the idea, too.
Even if it doesn’t work out the way all parties wanted and he never steps foot on a major league field, Gowdy will represent valuable minor league depth for the organization.
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