Poche elected to become a free agent Tuesday, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.
Poche cleared waivers after the Mets removed him from their 40-man roster, but he's decided to test out free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. The lefty reliever has been rocked for 14 runs (13 earned) over 9.1 innings between the Nationals and Mets in 2025.