The New York Mets have secured a familiar arm for the coming season by agreeing to a one-year major league contract with right-hander Robert Stock.
Announced on Friday, the deal is structured as a split contract, meaning Stock will receive different salaries depending on whether he spends time on the active roster or in the minor leagues.
At 36 years old and approaching his 37th birthday later this month, Stock brings a lengthy professional résumé that spans multiple organizations and countries.
Stock’s major league career began in earnest between 2018 and 2021, when he appeared in 55 games and logged 72⅔ innings across four different teams.
During that stretch he posted a 4.71 ERA.
After those seasons he spent three years pitching outside the majors, including stints in South Korea, Mexico, independent leagues, and with the Milwaukee Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate.
He resurfaced briefly in the big leagues in 2025, making two appearances totaling 2⅔ innings for the Boston Red Sox before signing a minor league contract with the Mets last winter.
That 2026 campaign nearly never materialized. Stock underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in March, an operation that threatened to sideline him for the entire year.
Instead, he worked his way back to minor league action by mid-June and earned a call-up to New York’s active roster at the start of August.
Once there, he started seven of his eight appearances and worked 30⅓ innings, finishing with a 5.93 ERA, a 19.7 percent strikeout rate, and a 10.2 percent walk rate.
A bout of finger numbness forced him off the mound in mid-September, an unsettling development given his recent surgical history.
Still, the velocity on his fastball remained solid, averaging 95.8 mph, and the Mets’ decision to re-sign him suggests the club is not overly alarmed by the lingering health questions.
Because Stock is out of minor league options, the contract places him directly on the Mets’ 40-man roster. That status gives New York additional flexibility as it navigates the offseason roster.
Should the team later designate him for assignment in an attempt to clear a spot, rival clubs may be less inclined to claim him on waivers because of the guaranteed major league portion of his salary.
In that scenario, the Mets would have a better chance of outrighting him to Triple-A. Stock could reject such an assignment and elect free agency, yet the guaranteed money on the deal may encourage him to remain with the organization.
Assuming he stays, he figures to serve as rotation or bullpen depth while the Mets continue their search for additional pitching help this winter.
