Throughout much of the baseball calendar, MLB teams are limited to a maximum of 13 pitchers on their official roster. Therefore, it signifies a considerable event when a team manages to utilize three-and-a-half times that quantity within a single year.
That team happens to be the New York Mets, who deployed their 46th pitcher in 2025 on Wednesday, surpassing a benchmark previously set by the Miami Marlins last year. The pitcher responsible for establishing the new record was Dom Hamel, who initiated his MLB journey with a scoreless sixth inning opposing the San Diego Padres in a 7-4 loss.
Trailing closely behind are the Atlanta Braves, having utilized 44 pitchers, succeeded by the Los Angeles Angels (41) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (40). Conversely, the team with the fewest pitchers employed this season is the St. Louis Cardinals, with a count of 24 according to Baseball Reference.
Using the highest number of pitchers in MLB history doesn’t signify a favorable outcome. Concerning the Mets, this “accomplishment” underscores a season wherein virtually their complete pitching strategy has faltered, compelling the president of baseball operations, David Stearns, to desperately seek innings wherever possible.
This situation has unfolded as the pitching staff deteriorated from the top tiers of the rotation. Following an 89-win season and an appearance in the NLCS the previous year, the Mets undertook some questionable choices, such as recruiting former New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes and transitioning him into a starter, alongside pursuing recovery prospects like Frankie Montas and Griffin Canning.
Regrettably, few of these strategies have yielded success. While Holmes has performed adequately, considering the circumstances, David Peterson stands as the sole other Mets pitcher to accumulate more than 120 innings, maintaining a 6.99 ERA since the commencement of August. These struggles persisted on Wednesday preceding Hamel’s entry into the game, with six earned runs conceded across five innings.
Kodai Senga recently agreed to a demotion to Triple-A. Canning suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in June. Sean Manaea, who secured a three-year, $75 million contract last offseason, possesses a 5.40 ERA and has recently transitioned to the bullpen. Montas also transitioned to the bullpen and is presently sidelined for the season due to a UCL injury. Tylor Megill has been absent since June due to an elbow sprain.
Comparatively, the Mets’ bullpen has not performed poorly, ranking 17th in MLB with a 4.08 ERA and seventh with 585 innings pitched. Amidst limited positive developments, the Mets have recently leaned upon a trio of rookies, namely Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong, within the rotation, yielding mixed outcomes. Prior to August, none of them had participated in an MLB game.
Dom Hamel has achieved a notable distinction. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
(Ishika Samant via Getty Images)
Consequently, the Mets find themselves occupying the third and final wild-card position as of Wednesday, with the Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds trailing by fewer than two games. This team boasted the best record in MLB during June and maintained the NL East lead until as recently as Aug. 2.
That leaves Stearns with plenty on his to-do list, both for this season and the future.
The Complete Roster of Pitchers Deployed by the Mets This Season
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David Peterson (167 1/3 innings pitched)
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Huascar Brazobán (56 1/3)
* indicates a position player who has pitched
