Mets trade Huascar Brazobán to the White Sox for two prospects
The Mets got the White Sox 18th ranked prospect in their deal for Brazoban early Monday
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets lost their third straight game to the Marlins by a score of 2-0 (box)
Robert Stock got the start for the Mets and he pitched five innings of one-run ball, the longest outing of his big league career
Devin Williams allowed a run in the ninth inning, but all three of Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, and Huascar Brazobán combined for three scoreless innings
The Mets went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position on Sunday, with the low point of being held scoreless in the seventh inning despite having the bases loaded and nobody out
The Mets agreed to trade Huascar Brazobán to the White Sox in exchange for RHPs Gabe Davis (CWS no. 18 prospect) and Zach Franklin (Pujols)
The Mets traded RHP Freddy Peralta to the Rays for three prospects (story)
Roster Moves 📰
RHP Freddy Peralta traded to the Rays
C Shawn Ross claimed off waivers from the Pirates
RHP Joey Gerber designated for assignment
OF MJ Melendez designated for assignment
RHP Kevin Herget designated for assignment
RHP Robert Stock selected to the roster
RHP Bryce Conley selected to the roster
RHP Jonathan Pintaro optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Rumor Mill 💨
The Padres have checked in on RHP Kodai Senga (NY Post)
The Cubs are showing interest in RHP Luke Weaver (Athletic)
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
On the latest edition of the Just Mets Podcast, Rich broke down the trade that sent Freddy Peralta to the Rays, recapped another empty week on the field, and gave his thoughts on what’s next as the Mets sell-off continues ahead of the trade deadline.
SUBSCRIBE: YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Down on the Farm 🌾
INF Christopher Morel (AAA): 3-for-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI
INF Mitch Voit (no. 5 prospect, AA): 4-for-5, 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI
INF Andy Ibanez (High-A): 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
BOX SCORES
Single-A SLU (PPD) | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off today. they open a three-game series with the Guardians in Cleveland on Tuesday.
The Mets are doing as well as can be expected in their trade deadline deals ✍🏻
It seems like we have been waiting for this day to come for a very long time, hasn’t it?
Everyone has been talking about this inevitable sell-off from the Mets, which is well underway at this point, and who the Mets can or cannot move ahead of the 6:00 p.m. trade deadline today, August 3. So far, the Mets have done well all things considered, at least on paper.
And, it’s finally here. I cannot wait for it to be over.
I know there are plenty of moves ahead today. They will likely include all or some of Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis Robert Jr., Tyrone Taylor, and perhaps Kodai Senga, whose name has popped up on the Padres’ radar, according to the New York Post.
The Senga situation is fascinating to me considering he has been so ineffective in most any role he’s been in over the last year. But, pitching is hard to find in the trade market, and it’s even harder to find when there are so few sellers. So, in the case of the Padres, who are on a hot streak now and are just a game out of a wild-card spot, anything is on the table for them today.
And if the Mets can get Senga off the roster, that might be more valuable than anything they get in return. Sure, the Mets will get a prospect of some kind if they can move Senga, but the value is freeing the roster spot and giving it to someone who can provide value going forward, that which Senga has not done for most of the time he’s been a Met, even with a modest $15 million salary.
I am not betting on it, although I am allowed to dream, aren’t I?
As for the rest, I am curious to see what Holmes’ value is on the market and whether or not the Mets get their ask for him now that the best available pitcher has been moved in Tarik Skubal for the 25th and 68th ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Obviously, the Mets won’t get that kind of package for Holmes, but if they can get a 50-100 prospect or even a 75-100 prospect in return for Holmes, that would be about half of what they relinquished to get Peralta earlier this year and would have to be considered a win at this point, all things considered.
Then there’s Weaver, the other hope for a significant return.
Weaver’s extra year of control, combined with his stellar year for the Mets and becoming arguably the best reliever available this summer, make him a very valuable trade chip right now. Of course, there’s an argument for the Mets to retain Weaver for their bullpen heading into next year since they want to contend, but the bullpen is the most volatile part of the roster and, quite frankly, the easiest to build through free agency. So while I get the position to keep him, trading him makes far more sense to me in an effort to restock the top of the farm system ahead of an uncertain winter in which they will unquestionably need assets to trade from.
It’s not hard to believe the Mets can get a top 100 prospect for Weaver right now, especially after what they netted in their return for Brazoban early this morning (see more on that below). If that’s true, they simply have to jump on that opportunity and at least get their farm system back to where it was pre-Peralta, for which they traded two top 100 prospects to procure.
Now, that’s not to say the Mets didn’t do well for Peralta with the Rays considering he has the second highest ERA among qualified starting pitchers this season. The Rays farm system is a top three system in the game, so even if the Mets got their 15th best and 26th and 27th best prospect, they’d be higher ranked in almost every other system. None of them are top 100, but that’s okay. They got some inventory, they got some players they can possibly project in the near-term, and they now have new options for either the major league roster or as trade chips in the coming months.
That’s the goal as sellers this time of year. Trading off expiring contracts for prospect stock.
Of course, that’s not to say the Mets hit a home run in this deal. Who knows? It will be a few years before we know how well the Mets did, although if Peralta continues to struggle with Tampa Bay over the next couple of months and into the playoffs, I would consider the deal a win even at that point. But, we will see how that shakes out. I hope he performs and can contribute to their playoff drive. He’s a good guy and a good clubhouse guy - it just didn’t work out here and that’s all there is to it.
As for the Mets deal for Brazoban overnight Sunday into Monday, the Mets got back RHP Gabe Davis as the headliner in the deal along with RHP Zach Franklin. Davis, 22, was Chicago’s 18th-ranked prospect, which seems like a pretty good return for a 36-year-old setup man in Brazoban, but that’s what years of control for an effective reliever can buy a club in this market these days. He is a 6’9” power arm who was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 first-year player draft out of Oklahoma State, and while he pitched to a 2.63 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 27.1 High-A Winston Salem, he has struggled since his promotion to Double-A Birmingham to the tune of an 8.31 ERA over 34 innings with walks (17) and home runs (11) biting him hard as he looks to make that big jump. But, there’s a high ceiling with Davis and again, it’s hard to argue against the Mets for netting a 15-20 prospect for Brazoban, who the Mets are undoubtedly selling high on right now considering his track record.
Franklin, 27, was an unranked prospect in Chicago’s system, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mets activate Franklin and put him in their major league bullpen upon his arrival. He has a 4.37 ERA for Triple-A Charlotte in 33 appearances so far in 2026 with 60 strikeouts in 45 innings, although he has allowed 11 home runs which has been a thorn in his side this season. He was the White Sox 10th-round selection in the 2023 first-year player draft. His fastball sits at around 94 mph and he gets good chase with his slider/split combination.
This deal unquestionably bodes well for a return on Weaver as well.
As far as Raley is concerned, it would simply be bad business for the Mets to hang onto his expiring contract. He’s an elite left-handed reliever who can be a free agent at the end of the year. He’s getting traded today - it’s just a matter of when and for who, but considering how the Mets have been able to attack the middle ranks of these other clubs’ prospects so well in their deals for Peralta, Brazoban, and Minter, I would expect the Mets to do the same for Raley since his services should be in such high demand today, despite his expiring deal.
Then of course there is Taylor, who I think is 50/50 to go by the deadline. He’s on this power surge, having hit seven home runs in his last 48 plate appearances. He’s an excellent defensive player as we all know, a good clubhouse guy, and of course in his walk year. However, the industry isn’t going to get fooled by those seven home runs in terms of potentially overpaying to get what is really a fourth outfielder. The Mets I am sure will try to find an overpay for him, but I could see a scenario in which he remains a Met beyond today and he plays out his contract through the end of this season. I think the Mets should try and get something for him if they can, but there’s also a need to be able to field a team for the next two months too.
Lastly, there is Robert, who is one of baseball’s greatest crapshoots.
To be frank, I didn’t understand why the Mets were interested in trading for him at the deadline last summer, and I didn’t understand why they wanted him again this past winter and eventually got him in a trade for Luisangel Acuña. It’s not that I think Robert isn’t talented - he is and he is arguably one of the most talented people on this roster. But, he’s always hurt, and these injuries have diminished him and there’s no disputing that. It wasn’t exactly unpredictable that he had to deal with a medium-term injury this season considering what he’s been through over the last three years. And when a player is injured, he is providing no value to the major league roster, either.
Why would the Mets think they could keep him healthy? And, why would any other team want to take on that risk combined with general underperformance at this point? Sure, the receiving team can just decline his $20 million club option at the end of the year and cut bait, but the finances make him equally as unattractive as a potential trade piece for a contender from my seat.
The other side of this is, if the Mets are unable to deal Robert, it would be almost criminal to have him in center field over AJ Ewing during a time they need to be allocating to as many young players as possible. It’s probably criminal now to be playing him in center field over Ewing. It’s bad enough they have to deal with Marcus Semien at second base who is diminished on both sides of the ball, which prevents them from having Ewing there as well by the way. Robert being on the roster going forward would just be a giant headache.
In the end, there’s a lot of work left to be done and a lot of issues to consider as well. I am hopeful this deadline is the dawn of a new day for this club, even if that’s all very hard to see in the midst of this awful season and difficult time of transition for this roster.
But as I’ve said many times before, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Around the League 🚩
The Cubs are acquiring RHP Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays in exchange for their no. 13 and no. 21 prospects - the Cubs also sent recently DFA’d Jameson Taillon to the Blue Jays (MLB.com)
The Yankees landed INF Luis García Jr. from the Nationals in exchange for RHPs Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, and prospects Jack Cebert and Ben Grable
The Giants traded RHP Tyler Mahle to the Braves for RHP Anthony Molina (Fansided)
The Rangers might make SS Corey Seager and RHP Jacob deGrom available in trade (ESPN)
A’s star Nick Kurtz will see a hand specialist for his injured thumb (ESPN)
The argument for trading Weaver can also be made for any good player that the team controls beyond this year: it helps replenish the farm. If that's the rationale, why not trade Alvarez and Torrens as well? That would be a bad idea, as is trading Weaver, unless you get a great return from a desperate team. Since Brazoban is under control through '29, I don't think the Mets got such a great return. Sure, he's inconsistent, but who is going to help the Mets more in '27, Brazoban or the prospect they got who's been getting beaten up in AAA? Remember, this team is supposed to contend in '27, isn't that the hope?
What exactly does the front office think all these mid-level prospects are going to do for the 2027 Mets? The odds are that most of these so-called prospects will never become productive major leaguers. I notice there aren't any top-10 prospects in these deals—just organizational depth and lottery tickets.
Who's left to build around next year? Polanco? Baty? Vientos? That's not the core of a contender.
If Steve Cohen wants this team competing next season, he'll have to do what only he can do: open the checkbook for proven major leaguers—not another wave of "potential." The Mets don't need more players who might develop someday. They need legitimate hitters who can bat .275, get on base, and produce immediately. Otherwise, 2027 could look a lot like 2026.