The New York Mets wasted little time making their first trade deadline move, acquiring Gregory Soto in a deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Returns thus far have been mixed, as Soto looked dominant in his first outing with the team but struggled on Monday while taking the loss for New York. Soto fills the left-handed reliever void this Mets bullpen had, but the team still needs to add at least one more reliever, and that could put one internal option on the chopping block.
Mets fans have long expected that reliever to be Rico Garcia, and for good reason. He's appeared in just five games for the Mets this season, and he was just claimed on waivers eight days ago. He might yet be let go, but that should only be if the Mets acquire two relievers.
The one who should go first made himself known again on Monday. It's Huascar Brazoban.
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Huascar Brazoban's Mets season has unraveled
For the first couple of months of the season, Brazoban looked like an under-the-radar All-Star candidate. He had a 0.90 ERA in his first 22 appearances, many of which required him to record more than three outs. Since then, though, he's allowed 19 runs in 21.2 innings of work (7.89 ERA), pitching like the worst reliever in the Mets' bullpen. He turned a Mets lead into a deficit on Monday by failing to cover first base on what would've been an inning-ending groundout and then allowing back-to-back singles.
Are his struggles the result of him being overworked? Possibly. Early on, the Mets were using Brazoban whenever they could, often for more than one inning, as their starting pitchers gave little to no length. Still, his struggles cannot be overlooked. The Mets, a team trying to win the World Series, can ill afford to roster a reliever who has allowed nearly a run per inning over a two-month period.
Rico Garcia has emerged for Mets
While Brazoban has unraveled, Garcia has been a bright spot in an inconsistent Mets bullpen. Sure, he's only made five appearances for the Mets, but he's given up just three hits and one walk across 9.2 innings of work with 12 strikeouts. Oh yeah, and not a single run has come across.
Is Garcia going to pitch to a 0.00 ERA all season? Of course not. Is he a reliever the Mets should give high-leverage innings to? Nope, at least not yet. However, he's pitched well enough to stick around, especially over a guy who has been practically unusable for two months.
Bullpen decision should come down to preserving depth
Ultimately, this decision should come down to preserving depth. An argument can be made to keep Brazoban over Garcia even with recent performance, given Brazoban has been with the team all year and is the more talented pitcher when he's able to locate, but Brazoban has options and Garcia does not. This means the Mets can send Brazoban down to Triple-A without worrying about losing him. As for Garcia, if the Mets choose to leave him off their active roster, they'd have to DFA him, allowing the other 29 teams to get a crack at him for free. As we saw the last time the Mets DFA'd him, there will be at least one interested suitor.
The Mets should try to keep both relievers in town. Sending Brazoban down when they add a reliever allows them to accomplish that. Hopefully, assuming the Mets add a reliever, David Stearns sends Brazoban down, valuing recent performance and roster flexibility.