Hisanori Takahashi will become a free agent after he and the New York Mets were unable to reach a contract agreement.
The Mets and Takahashi’s agent, Arn Tellem, were expected to announce later Friday that they could not come to an agreement on his contract, and the Mets will be obligated by the terms of his contract to release him.
Takahashi was asking for a multi-year contract with a value of between $4 and $6 million annually, and the Mets were willing to give him only one year. The team’s initial offer was for $1.5 million, with incentives that could allow him to earn close to $3 million.
The sides had until midnight Saturday morning to complete a deal.
Takahashi went 10-6 with a 3.61 ERA for the Mets in 53 games, including 12 starts. He will be 36 next season.