{"id":232695,"date":"2025-10-22T20:05:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T20:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/232695\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T20:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T20:05:07","slug":"mets-former-first-round-pick-eyeing-return-to-mlb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/232695\/","title":{"rendered":"Mets’ former first-round pick eyeing return to MLB"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of Japan’s best pitchers this season is aiming to return to MLB \u2014 and it’s a name that many New York Mets<\/a> fans may remember.<\/p>\n

Left-handed pitcher Anthony Kay, after a stellar season with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, will attempt a comeback to the major leagues. Prior to his two-year stay in Japan, the 30-year-old spent five seasons in MLB with two separate stints with the Mets.<\/p>\n

Lefty Anthony Kay, the Mets’ 2016 first-round pick, is expected to return to MLB after two years in Japan. He led NPB this year in groundball rate (57.8%) while setting Yokohama’s single season ERA record (1.74) and pitching 155 innings. His fastball averaged 94.6 MPH.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Kay signed with the BayStars on January 9, 2024 and posted a 3.42 ERA that year, with a 2.84 FIP; however, he also helped Yokohama win the 2024 Japan Series by tossing seven shutout innings in a pivotal Game 4 win<\/a>. That performance set the tone for his 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n

This year, the lefty pitched 155 innings and logged a 1.74 ERA and 2.55 FIP, with 130 strikeouts against 41 walks. Kay’s ERA was the second-best in the Central League<\/a> (behind Hiroto Saiki’s 1.55 mark) and set a new club record. While NPB has become a more pitcher-friendly league over the past couple of years, Kay totaled an ERA- of 57<\/a> (ERA adjusted for park and league, with marks under 100 being above league average), meaning that he was impressive regardless of the environment he pitched in.<\/p>\n

Big game Anthony Kay got it done for the BayStars in Game 1 \ud83c\udf1f<\/p>\n

7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 118 P, 13 Whiffs<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/9bvCcNJKN7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) October 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

It was a season where Kay seemingly put everything together, and this form is perhaps what the Mets saw almost 10 years ago.<\/p>\n

Kay was a first-round pick by the Mets in the 2016 MLB Draft, being the 31st overall selection; the pick New York used on Kay was a compensatory pick from the Washington Nationals, who signed second baseman and 2015 NLCS MVP Daniel Murphy during the 2015-16 offseason after he rejected the Mets’ qualifying offer.<\/p>\n

By 2019, the southpaw had begun to rise through New York’s system, earning a promotion from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse and representing the Mets in the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. At that year’s trade deadline, however, the Mets decided to capitalize on his value. In a trade that brought Marcus Stroman to New York, Kay and fellow pitching prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson were sent to the Toronto Blue Jays.<\/p>\n

Read More: Mets predicted to trade starter to the Athletics<\/a><\/p>\n

After spending the next four seasons in Toronto and most of 2023 with the Chicago Cubs, the then 28-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Mets on September 14, 2023. Kay’s second stint in Flushing included major league action, but for only three games; he pitched 3.1 innings and allowed two runs (5.40 ERA) with three strikeouts. His appearance on October 1, 2023 is his last major league appearance to date.<\/p>\n

7 years after being drafted by the Mets and 4 years after being sent to Toronto in the Marcus Stroman trade, Anthony Kay is on for his Mets debut. pic.twitter.com\/kPTEPq7YOK<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SNY (@SNYtv) September 24, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

Although Kay is now a completely different pitcher, it’s highly unlikely that the Mets pursue a reunion with him. This may have been a pitcher they would have signed last offseason (had Kay’s 2025 happened in 2024 instead) due to David Stearns’ tendency to sign unproven but high-upside arms; however, after that approach failed in 2025, New York will instead look for a bona-fide ace<\/a> to anchor the rotation. Given Kay’s lack of MLB success before his stint overseas, he isn’t the pitcher the Mets are looking for.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, other teams with holes in their rotations will certainly be intrigued by what Kay can do. He’ll be a cheap low-risk option on the free agent market with high potential reward if his 2025 success can carry over to the major leagues.<\/p>\n