Getty

The Washington Nationals have signed former New York Mets reliever Max Kranick.

After dropping a series to the Washington Nationals, the New York Mets will watch a former reliever sign with the club.

Right-hander Max Kranick has reached an agreement with the Nationals, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The 28-year-old was a reliable member of the New York bullpen last season until he went down with an elbow strain. Kranick is a former top prospect who has spent parts of three years in the big leagues.

Washington will give Kranick another look in the majors. The righty is targeting a return in the second half as he continues to rehab the elbow issue.

Washington Nationals Sign Former New York Mets Reliever Max Kranick

Kranick delivered 37 innings of a 3.65 ERA with the Mets in 2025. He only punched out opponents at a 16.9% clip, but kept the walks to a minimum (3.4%). Kranick typically worked in multi-inning stints, but also pushed for high-leverage work. He recorded five holds before his June injury. Kranick picked up three victories out of the bullpen, including an extra-inning thriller against the Philadelphia Phillies that saw Starling Marte deliver a walk-off hit. The righty came in for Edwin Diaz in the 10th inning and escaped a jam, keeping the deficit at one run. He was the pitcher of record for Marte’s game-winning knock.

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Kranick in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. Even as an 18-year-old in Rookie ball, he showed promise. Kranick slowly worked his way through Pittsburgh’s system, reaching the big leagues as a 23-year-old in 2021. The right-hander made nine starts with the Pirates, scuffling to a 6.28 ERA across 38.2 frames. He returned to the majors in 2022 and tossed five scoreless innings. Injuries derailed him from there. Kranick strained his forearm in April of that season. He ultimately required Tommy John surgery. Pittsburgh designated him for assignment. The Mets swooped in and stashed him during his rehab.

Why Didn’t the Mets Keep Kranick?

Kranick required surgery to repair his flexor tendon in 2025. The Mets decided against tendering him a contract. New York could’ve retained him while he rehabbed the injury, with the hope that he could contribute in the bullpen after the All-Star break. Instead, the club cut ties, allowing him to join the NL East rival Nationals.

The Mets went into the 2026 campaign with what seemed to be an abundance of pitching depth. Nolan McLean and Freddy Peralta headlined a rotation that also included Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and David Peterson. The rotation was deep enough that former starter Sean Manaea was pushed into a bullpen role. The group has quickly eroded, both due to injury and poor performance.

Senga recently hit the injured list with lumbar spine inflammation. Peterson and Manaea have tag-teamed their spot in the rotation, which has generally gone poorly. Peralta has been fine. Holmes has been a revelation, while McLean has continued to dominate in his follow-up to a strong 2025 debut. The roster shuffling led to Christian Scott returning to the big-league club. He was miserable in his first outing, getting yanked after 1.1 innings.