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After clearing outright waivers, right-handed reliever Carlos Torres has declined a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. On the heels of an ineffective season—he had a 4.68 ERA through 57.2 innings—Torres was designated for assignment by the Mets to make room for Antonio Bastardo, who signed a two-year contract, on the 40-man roster.
Despite rumblings that the Mets would pursue a trade involving Torres, the veteran of three big league teams is heading to the open market. Torres's average fastball velocity was a career-best 92.1 miles per hour in 2015, but his results weren't. After a calf injury sidelined him for much of September, Torres did not make any of the Mets' postseason rosters as they went on to the World Series.
Signed by the Mets as a free agent in November of 2012, Torres's career in Flushing will ends with a cumulative 3.59 ERA in 241 innings over three seasons.