Coming off a successful stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Carlos Mendoza has confirmed that Huascar Brazobán will be a part of the Mets’ bullpen if he remains healthy to finish off the spring. When speaking about his 36-year-old right-hander, Mendoza added, “If everything continues to trend in that direction…he’s going to be a part of our bullpen.”
Mendoza faced 13 batters in the WBC and struck out seven of them. He walked one and did not allow a hit over four shutout
innings. Brazobán has also allowed one hit and walked one while striking out five over three shutout innings with the Mets this spring prior to his WBC performance.
Brazobán was second among all Mets relievers last season with 63 innings pitched, trailing only Edwin Díaz on that front. Meanwhile, he was fourth in appearances (52) behind Ryne Stanek (65), Díaz (62), and Reed Garrett (58). He finished the year with a 3.57 ERA and a 4.04 FIP, with 57 strikeouts and 27 walks. Brazobán still has a Minor League option, which made his spot in the bullpen anything but a guarantee, but his strong spring performance made it an easy choice for Mendoza.
The Mets have now essentially locked in six of their seven bullpen spots with closer Devin Williams, set-up man Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, Luis García, Tobias Myers, and Brazobán. With the team expected to deploy a six-man rotation, Mendoza will run a seven-man bullpen, leaving one spot left to fill. Craig Kimbrel is the most high-profile name remaining, but his performance this spring has done little to earn him a spot. He is competing against guys like Bryan Hudson, Austin Warren and Joey Gerbe, to name a few. The Mets are expected to make their decision as close to Opening Day as possible, to allow for more time to analyze their options. The Mets open their season against the Pirates on Thursday, March 26 at 1:15 pm at Citi Field.
