Former New York Mets right-hander Max Kranick has agreed to a minor-league deal with the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon.

Sammon reported: “Right-hander Max Kranick and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a deal, league sources said. It’s a NRI/split contract that will give Kranick, 29, the opportunity to work as a starter.”

Mets fans will remember Kranick’s 2025 season in Flushing, where he provided solid relief work after missing the previous two years. He appeared in 24 games, going 3-2 with a 3.65 ERA across 37 innings while striking out 25 and walking just five. His 1.05 WHIP ranked among the better marks in the Mets’ bullpen that year.

The performance offered a reminder of the arm the organization had claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in early 2024. Kranick had debuted with the Pirates in 2021, making nine starts and finishing 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings before injuries limited him thereafter.

His 2025 campaign ended when he required flexor tendon surgery in July. The Mets non-tendered him that November, sending him into free agency. He later signed with the Washington Nationals in May 2026 while still recovering.

With Washington, Kranick struggled in his return. He made 17 relief appearances, posting a 0-1 record and 9.33 ERA in 18 1/3 innings. He struck out 11 while walking 13, and his WHIP climbed to 2.18 before he was designated for assignment in September.

Across his four-year major-league career, Kranick is 5-6 with a 5.55 ERA in 99 innings and 72 strikeouts over 52 games. The Scranton, Pennsylvania, native was an 11th-round pick of the Pirates in 2016 out of Valley View High School.

For the Mets, the move places a former contributor on a rival’s roster just across the division. The Phillies currently project Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola in their rotation, and they view Kranick as low-cost depth who could open the year starting at Triple-A.

Kranick’s 2025 numbers with New York stood in contrast to the rest of his big-league work. In those 37 innings he allowed only five home runs and kept his walk rate low, giving the Mets a reliable long-relief option for stretches of the season.

He has not started a major-league game since 2021. The Phillies’ deal explicitly offers him a chance to work in that role again, something the Mets never fully explored during his brief time in the organization.

The 29-year-old’s time in New York remains a bright spot on an otherwise uneven résumé. Whether he can recapture that form in Philadelphia remains an open question as both clubs prepare for spring training.

Mets fans who watched him pitch at Citi Field in 2025 now see him lining up against the team that once gave him a second chance in the majors.