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Mets given back their 2.98 ERA lefty pitcher after a year away

The New York Mets ' Nate Lavender has taken a fascinating path.

In 2023, he had a 2.98 ERA combined across Double-A and Triple-A.

That offseason, the Mets didn't add Lavender to the 40-man roster, and he was eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

The Tampa Bay Rays chose Lavender. But he was injured for all of 2025 and didn't pitch in the Tampa Bay organization.

That meant the Rays could've carried Lavender's Rule 5 rights into another season.

Instead, they've opted to return him to the Mets, the Rays announced on Wednesday.

Lavender is still just 25 years old out of Illinois and was a great strikeout pitcher when last healthy for a full season, in 2023.

The Dodgers have an $87 million f

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