Jackson opted out of his minor-league contract with the Mets on Saturday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. Since signing a minor-league deal with the Mets in early April, Jackson has posted a 7.04 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in 7.2 innings over nine appearances split between Single-A and Triple-A. A major-league opportunity with the Mets wasn't likely to come soon, so the 34-year-old will now explore his other options in free agency. That said, he will likely have to settle for another minor-league deal in order to extend his career.
Jackson signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. Jackson finished the 2025 season with a 4.06 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 51 total innings, but he began to find consistent success near toward the end of the year, posting a 2.38 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over 11.1 frames with the Mariners. Although he won't be granted a spot on the big-league roster immediately upon signing with the Mets, he could potentially earn a spot in Queens if he continues to find success at Triple-A Syracuse.
Jackson threw 1.1 clean innings of relief Sunday against the Dodgers, striking out two. After fizzling out as the Rangers' closer to open the season and then failing to keep his roster spot with Detroit, Jackson has found his footing with the Mariners since joining the club in September. The veteran right-hander has given up no earned runs in eight of his 10 outings for Seattle, producing a 2.38 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB over 11.1 innings. With prior late-inning experience to boot, Jackson should be an option for high-leverage work during the playoffs.