Mets add Westbury-raised reliever Matt Seelinger
Matt Seelinger of the Detroit Tigers during photo day on Feb. 17, 2026. Credit: AP/Mike Stewart
ATLANTA – The Mets are shoring up their pitching reserves, and Monday, it came in the form of a Long Island native drafted 10 seasons ago out of Farmingdale State – and who at 31, could be in line to make his MLB debut at some point this season.
The team announced that they had acquired Matt Seelinger from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations, with the Detroit News reporting that the righthander has an “upward mobility clause” in his contract, meaning the Mets will either need to put him on their 40-man roster within the next 72 hours or make him available to another team. He was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse.
Seelinger, a Clarke High School alum from Westbury, played for Farmingdale State for four years before getting selected by the Pirates in the 28th round of the 2017 draft. He bounced around the minors for six seasons before playing for the Long Island Ducks in 2024, where the reliever compiled a 0.44 ERA over 21 appearances.
The Tigers purchased his contract in June 2024. In 25 games with Triple-A Toledo this year, Seelinger pitched to a 3.89 ERA over 39 1/3 innings, with 19 walks and 49 strikeouts. The Mets will be Seelinger’s fifth organization. In 284 professional games, he has a 3.33 ERA.
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
