Mets Designate Christian Cairo and Kyren Paris for Assignment

Mets Add Christian Cairo and Kyren Paris to Major League Deals Before Designating Both for Assignment

The New York Mets adjusted their roster on Monday, signing infielders Christian Cairo and Kyren Paris to major league contracts before immediately designating both players for assignment, as [sny.tv] reported. The double roster shakeup leaves the Mets with a full 40-player roster.

Cairo, 25, joined the Mets organization in September after being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. During the 2026 minor league season split between the Phillies and Mets Triple-A affiliates, the utility infielder slashed .230/.381/.300 with four home runs and 25 stolen bases across 130 games. As noted by [mlbtraderumors.com], Cairo is an all-glove utility infielder who has yet to appear in a major league game. Throughout the 2026 season, the son of former MLB player Miguel Cairo played shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and left field.

Paris joined the Mets on October 29 after being claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. He turns 25 in late November. During the 2026 major league season, Paris went hitless across 15 at-bats in eight games. This followed a 2025 campaign where he slashed .190/.266/.381 over 44 games and 126 at-bats for the Angels.

Contrasting Minor League Resumes and Big League Struggles

The two newly signed infielders arrive in New York with starkly different professional backgrounds, though both face uncertain immediate futures with the club.

Paris enters as a former second-round draft pick with four partial major league seasons on his resume. According to [mlbtraderumors.com], the righty-swinging infielder owns a career .147/.238/.272 slash line with seven home runs and 11 stolen bases across 263 big league plate appearances, alongside a 38% strikeout rate. Despite those major league struggles, Paris showed significant offensive production in the minors. He posted a .274/.384/.458 slash line with 13 homers and 24 steals between Double-A and Triple-A.

Cairo offers a different profile centered on defensive versatility and speed. While his Triple-A bat produced a modest .300 slugging percentage, his 25 stolen bases and multi-positional capability highlight his utility value.

Roster Mechanics Behind the Double Waivers

The Mets utilized a common front-office maneuver by signing both players to major league deals—including a one-year split contract for Cairo—before removing them from the 40-man roster.

As detailed by [mlbtraderumors.com], teams frequently sign liked depth pieces to higher-than-average minor league salaries or major league splits. This strategy increases the likelihood that the player will clear waivers unclaimed and choose to remain with the organization as non-roster minor league depth. Both infielders likely understood the team’s intention to drop them from the 40-man roster at the time they signed their respective contracts.

The Mets will attempt to pass both Cairo and Paris through waivers later in the week.