Griffin allowed 16 runs on 13 hits and six walks across three innings in his first two starts with Triple-A Las Vegas this season, so the Mets decided to cut the 30-year-old loose. He's made 41 big-league appearances (38 starts) over the previous two seasons, albeit to little success (5.41 ERA across 196.1 innings), so he should be able to find a minor-league deal elsewhere.

No word has come forth as to why Griffin was moved to this list, but it may turn out to be nothing. The minor-league inactive lists are typically very flexible, so he could be out for a pretty short period of time.

New York may not have Jason Vargas (hand) available for the start of the season, but with Zack Wheeler ready to step in and experienced starters in Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman and Rafael Montero also on hand, Griffin doesn't have a clear path to the big-league rotation. If the Mets' pitching staff retains relatively sound health over the first couple months of the season, Griffin could request a release from his minor-league contract in order to pursue opportunities elsewhere.

The 30-year-old righty put up an ugly 5.94 ERA in 77.1 innings with the Rangers last season. The underlying numbers say he deserved that high mark, as he posted a 6.26 FIP and a 28.5 percent groundball rate, a number which would have ranked lowest among all qualified starters. He's unlikely to be much of a factor in New York this season unless injuries deplete the team's rotation depth.