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Huascar Brazobán generated plenty of value for the Mets
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- Huascar Brazobán generated plenty of value for the Mets
Huascar Brazobán's Mets tenure was undeniably a highly successful one. Acquired for a pittance at the 2024 deadline from the Marlins ($10 for you if you can name the prospect the Mets gave up in that deal without looking it up), the 36-year-old posted 135.2 innings of 3.45 ERA ball in Queens. He was a good soldier, too, functioning as a setup guy, an opener, a multi-inning fireman, and even an up-and-down option at times as the Mets' bullpen went through several iterations during his tenure.
The first half of Brazobán's 2026 was arguably the best performance of his major league career, with 52.2 innings of 2.56 ERA ball. There was even a shiny 2.75 xERA underlying that performance, which might suggest that this was somewhat sustainable. That mark could even an argument to hold Brazobán beyond the deadline given that he remains under team control until 2030the trade deadline.
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In reality, this was a mirage. Brazobán, like countless relievers before him and countess after him, was succeeding on a unsustainable stretch of favorable contact suppression numbers. His K-BB% remained below average at 12.6%, his stuff pedestrian, and the top-line figures more dependent on a .206 BABIP in New York than an actual breakout at age 36. With this information in mind, the Mets made the prudent decision to sell high at the deadline, shipping Brazobán out to the south side of Chicago.
Brazobán then posted a 4.40 ERA (7.24 xERA) down the stretch, missing time with a lat injury. Yes, the White Sox will have him under control for multiple seasons, but that's hardly the help they were looking for as they looked to make a deep playoff push. Meanwhile, the prospects the Mets got back are already paying dividends. Gabe Davis was widely regarded as a promising-but-poorly-optimized arm in the Chicago system (he had an ERA over 8 this season), then posted a 2.53 ERA in Binghamton while doing stuff like this every time he took the ball. Zach Franklin probably has better present stuff than Brazobán right now, and the odds he's the better major league arm in 2027 are much closer to even than you'd think. Both Davis and Franklin are likely to be 2027 contributors.
If this story sounds nearly identical to that of Brooks Raley , you'd be right. The Mets did quite a good job of maximizing their veteran bullpen arms in the first half, then did an even better job of selling high and picking up solid prospects in return. We should all have some doubts about the Mets' front office at this point, but this particular maneuver is one they're executing better than just about anyone else right now. Hang your hat on what you can.
