Armed with a triple-digit heater, Arkansas righty Carson Wiggins brings elite velocity to Queens. The first-round flamethrower’s slot-value deal now sets the stage for New York’s draft strategy.
The newest New York Mets pitcher has officially signed with the club as right-hander Carson Wiggins has inked a deal with a $3,466,500 signing bonus on Wednesday morning. Wiggins was the Mets’ first selection in this year’s draft at No. 27 overall.
The University of Arkansas righty has an elite 80-grade fastball that was named the best in the entire 2026 class by MLB Pipeline. As a freshman, Wiggins averaged 98.7 mph on his go-to pitch and touched as high as 102 mph.
Though Wiggins missed his sophomore season after recovering from a torn UCL, scouts have kept their belief in the Arkansas native. In bullpen workouts this spring, Wiggins touched triple digits yet again, something that certainly was a factor in the Mets’ selection of the 21-year-old.
New York signed Wiggins for his exact slot value, which can be a bit of a concern for the club as they continue to sign the rest of their picks from the weekend’s draft. This could mean the Mets are unable to sign some of their picks unless there are players who are willing to sign under their slot value.
Wiggins is the only draftee to sign so far for the Mets, setting the scale for how the rest of the signing period goes for the club who desperately needs an infusion of talent to their farm system.
The outlook would be much better for New York if they were able to land Wiggins under his slot value, but they knew before drafting him and were willing to match him at that number. Despite not having another selection until No. 92, the Mets were confident enough in Wiggins to meet his demands.
In his 2025 freshman season, Wiggins posted a 3.21 ERA in 14 games for the Razorbacks, recording 12.9 strikeouts and 5.8 walks per nine innings. Though his walk numbers will need to see improvement in the minor leagues, there’s reason to believe he can get there. After all, Wiggins only pitched 14 innings of collegiate ball before being drafted, meaning there is still a lot of room for improvement.
Wiggins’ signing makes him the fourth-most expensive former Arkansas draftee in MLB history. Despite the injury concerns, the Mets have full belief in Wiggins to be a standout as they look to rebuild their farm system.
