Mike Baxter, Robert Carson Claimed Off Waivers

So long Mike Baxter and Robert Carson, and to a lesser extent, Greg Burke and Sean Henn — they have all been placed on waivers. Baxter and Carson have been claimed by other teams, while Burke and Henn are out there for anyone to have.

The Dodgers grabbed Baxter, who will forever be remembered in Mets history for his shoulder-crushing catch that saved Johan Santana’s no-hitter. But the Queens native did not deliver this season, hitting just .189 while spending time in the minors.

“It’s definitely sad that my time in New York is going to come to an end,”  Mike Baxter said, according to ESPN New York. “I’m just thankful they gave me an opportunity to come in and fulfill a childhood dream playing for the Mets. I’ll look at that time fondly. I really enjoyed playing in New York.”

Carson will also head out to sunny Los Angeles (well, Anaheim), only with the Angels. The lefty had promise but was pretty much a flop in parts of two seasons for the Mets, pitching to a 6.82 ERA in 31 appearances.

Expect more familiar faces to be given the boot out of Flushing — the Mets 40-man roster now stands at 36. There are eight players on the 60-day disabled list who have to be put back on the roster, but that would be evened out by their eight free agents. However several minor leaguers will have to be added to the roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, so continued maneuvering is still necessary.