Mets left-hander rejected an outright a signment to Triple-A Syracuse after clearing waivers and elected free agency, . Outfielder , also designated by the Mets over the weekend, went unclaimed and has been a signed outright to Syracuse as well. Like Kolarek, Almonte has the right to elect free agency, but theres no indication yet that hes chosen to do so. Kolarek, 34, now stands as an interesting, last-minute depth addition for playoff hopefuls seeking to stockpile bullpen arms in advance of Fridays postseason eligibility deadline. The sidearm southpaw has appeared in parts of seven big league seasons, logging a combined 3.62 ERA with a well below-average 15.9% strikeout rate but strong command (6.8% walk rate) and a mammoth 63.9% ground-ball rate. Hes to sed six shutout innings with a 7-to-1 K/BB ratio between the Dodgers Parker Mushinski Jersey and Mets in 2023, plus another 35 1/3 innings of 2.55 ERA ball in Triple-A (albeit with an uncharacteristic 13.5% walk rate in that time). Kolarek struggled with the As in 2021-22 (5.74 ERA in 26 2/3 innings) but has had succe s at every other stop in his big league career, including with the Rays, Dodgers (two stints) and Mets. Hes not a hard thrower (as is the case with most sidearmers), but hes held opponents to an ugly 87.2 mph exit velocity in his career and allowed le s than a third of the batted balls against him at 95 mph or more both strong marks. Hell presumably draw some interest on a minor league deal from a playoff hopeful, and with rosters set to expand to 28 players on Friday, a return path to the big leagues could be all the more realistic. As for the 34-year-old Almonte, he went 1-for-15 with eight punchouts in 16 plate appearances with the Mets. The journeyman outfielder has suited up for eight teams in parts of 11 seasons at the MLB level. Hes typically been a reserve outfielder, never topping 258 plate appearances in a season, and is a career .233/.300/.371 batter in 1379 plate appearances. Almonte is a lifetime .287/.388/.493 hitter in parts of nine Triple-A seasons, including a .228/.331/.564 slash in 118 plate appearances with Syracuse this season. Victor Caratini Jersey