Mets Claim Infielder Off Waivers From Twins
The Mets had a 40-man vacancy and did not need to make a corresponding move.
The Twins had designated Wagaman for assignment last week after claiming Christian Roa off waivers from the Houston Astros and needing a 40-man roster spot to complete the transaction.
It is the second DFA of Wagaman's career in the past six months, and it follows a stretch at Triple-A St. Paul where he hit .159 with one home run and six RBIs in 18 games, numbers that gave Minnesota little reason to fight to keep him.
Who Wagaman Is
Wagaman, 28, is a right-handed hitting corner infielder and outfielder who has spent the better part of the last three years trying to prove he belongs on a big league roster.
Drafted by the Yankees in 2017 out of Orange Coast CC, Wagaman had a slow and steady climb up the affiliate ranks but started to show some big league promise between 2022 and 2024. His worst full-season line in that stretch was a 123 wRC+ in 266 plate appearances between High-A and Double-A in 2022.
The Angels added him via the Rule 5 Draft and gave him a cup of coffee in September 2024, but his results in 74 big league plate appearances were underwhelming enough that Anaheim declined to tender him a contract.
UPDATE
— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) April 27, 2026
The Mets have claimed INF Eric Wagaman off waivers from the Twins. pic.twitter.com/j75aJiPJ8M
The Marlins signed him to a major league deal for 2025 and gave him 514 plate appearances, a good opportunity to show what he could do with consistent playing time.
He was decisively overmatched by fellow right-handers but knocked left-handers around at a strong .283/.321/.462 clip. Wagaman has experience at all four corner positions but has worked primarily at first base in recent seasons.
His strong plate discipline also backslid, and without average power at a bat-first position, the Marlins found little incentive to keep rostering him.
Minnesota picked him up in the offseason hoping he could serve as a right-handed bench option who could fill in across the corner spots.
The early returns at Triple-A St. Paul were not encouraging enough to keep him on the 40-man when a bullpen need arose.
Why the Mets Made This Claim
The Mets went on a 12-game losing streak from April 8 to April 21 and rank last in baseball in both runs scored and wRC+.
An offense that spent heavily this offseason to get back into contention has been one of the worst in the sport through the first month of the season, and the front office under David Stearns is clearly not standing still while the situation deteriorates.
For a major league club that is currently starving for offense, Wagaman is a low-risk move that could potentially pay dividends. He is controllable until 2031 and, more importantly, has all three option years remaining.
We have made the following roster moves. #LGM pic.twitter.com/Tyheb1EqvJ
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 27, 2026
Wagaman can be shuttled between Syracuse and the big leagues for the next three seasons without any roster complications, which makes him precisely the kind of depth piece a team rebuilding its bench from scratch needs.
He is obviously not a solution to the Mets' offensive problems.
But he is a right-handed bat with corner versatility and a track record of punishing left-handed pitching who costs nothing to stash at Triple-A while New York figures out bigger answers to bigger questions.
Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
