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It has been a few years since the Mets were active in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. However, in 2025 they were active in the minor league portion, claiming three pitchers: Justin Armbruester, Aaron Rozek, and Matt Turner.
Turner, an 11th round draft pick for Cleveland in 2017, is a Miami native entering his age 27 season. Turner was named one of the organizational All-Stars in 2019, after his first season above rookie ball. After reaching Double-A Akron in the Guardians org in 2023, he’s bounced around a bit as of late after electing free agency after the 2023 season.
After playing in independent ball and a spell in the Mexican Pacific Winter League, Turner signed with the Rockies ahead of the 2025 season. He pitched for both Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque, faring far better outside of the thin air of the Pacific Coast League. All told in 2025, Turner put up a 5.79 ERA across the two levels, making four starts and 37 relief appearances. His strikeout rate was just over one per inning, but he walked five per nine innings. He managed to limit home runs, which in the PCL can be quite the challenge,
Turner was signed by the Yankees to a minor league deal early in the offseason, which was followed up by the Mets’ claiming him in the Rule 5 Draft. So far this spring, Turner has pitched in two games, tossing a scoreless inning in each appearance. He’s walked two, struck out two, and given up one hit.
The Mets clearly saw something in him to both claim him from the Yankees and give him and invitation to big league camp. Being so new to the system, we don’t have a ton of information about Turner, but he’s looked good in his first two appearances. With King of Spring Training still not officially underway, Turner has a chance for the crown and, potentially, a spot in the Mets’ bullpen at some point later this year. +