The New York Mets are in a surprising spot on the day of the trade deadline as they sit in the second wild-card spot at 56-50 and a half-game back of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot.
With their newfound playoff contention, the organization has had a clear priority over the past couple of weeks: add some bullpen help. President of baseball operations David Stearns has done just that, adding Matt Gage, Phil Maton, Alex Young, Ryne Stanek, and Tyler Zuber.
Stearns still felt that wasn’t quite enough, as the Mets traded for a controllable relief pitcher from the Miami Marlins.
The Mets have acquired Huascar Brazobán from the Miami Marlins
According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets have acquired relief pitcher Huascar Brazobán in exchange for minor-league infielder Wilfredo Lara.
Brazobán was a late bloomer, making it to the major leagues with the Marlins 11 years after signing with the Colorado Rockies, and has been a crucial cog in their bullpen since his debut.
The 34-year-old has continued to impress in 2024, pitching 30.2 innings across 20 appearances to a 2.93 ERA with a 1.011 WHIP while striking out 34 and posting a 150 ERA+. Brazobán is under team control until the 2029 season.
Lara came to the Mets as an international free agent in 2021 and has steadily moved up the minor league system since. The 20-year-old has spent 2024 playing for High-A Brooklyn, slashing .244/.349/.343 across 78 games with four home runs and 29 RBIs.
- Mets struck gold with starting pitcher on team-friendly deal
- Mets may face competition to retain star slugging infielder
- Will Mets go all in to add second ace via trade?
What does this mean for the Mets?
Brazobán immediately becomes one of the better arms in the Mets bullpen and should be a crucial part of the bullpen not only this season but for as long as he is successful as with his age, it is truly possible that the 34-year-old retires before reaching free agent status in 2029.
Lara is a solid prospect and, with his development track, could have very realistically found himself among the organization’s top 30 prospects next season. However, with the cost of pitching being so high, a player of Lara’s quality was what it was going to take to get a solid reliever.
