The Mets announced that they have designated reliever Brad Brach for assignment. They did so to make room for the signing of infielder Jonathan Villar.
The well-traveled Brach joined the Mets in August 2019, shortly after the Cubs released him, and did well enough in the season’s final weeks for New York to re-sign him entering last year. Brach wasn’t able to follow up on that success, though, as he gave the Mets 12 1/3 innings of eight-earned run ball with just as many walks as strikeouts (14). Also of concern: Brach averaged just over 90 mph on his fastball – far below his lifetime mean of 93.6.
The soon-to-be 35-year-old Brach forewent another trip to free agency this past October when he chose to exercise a $2.075MM player option for 2021. However, Brach could soon head back to the open market if the Mets don’t find a taker for him in a trade, as he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment.
While 2020 was rocky for Brach, he has been durable and adept at preventing runs for most of his career. He has thrown at least 60 innings in six different seasons and has pitched to a 3.39 ERA/3.78 SIERA with an above-average strikeout rate of 25.1 percent over 522 2/3 frames.
Thank god, dude walked everyone he faced, next better be Drew Smith or Castro
Sure – get rid of the young talented arms that aren’t making any money – great strategy.
Drew Smith has lots of potential get a clue
Drew Smith absolutely sucked in 2020 but ok.
No point in trying to hit the jackpot with these guys, just like rhame, gagnon, seawald, flexon, bashlor, peterson, etc., all they do is cost us games and then get released a couple months later, they are only usable in games when you are down by 10+ runs
Forget 2020 which was basically an exhibition between the late start, short season and hectic ongoing schedule changes, never mind the way of life adjustments. Outside of injuries, 2920 both good and bad have to be considered with a grain of salt. If anything, combine the stats with 2019 to better gauge the players. Doesn’t work with all but should be a better barometer for assessing 2021 for most.
Only 7 IP
Castro has plenty of talent and fans who want him gone are crazy
Red Sox could take a chance on him. If I recall, he was once a decent reliever.
Wouldn’t mind him at Jet Blue, just get the Mets to pay 80% of the cost and send back a lower level prospect who has to be on the 40 man roster in 2022.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha “the Mets pay 80% of the cost”
Surprising that he was DFA’d over Daniel Zamora or Stephen Tarpley. Last year he hardly pitched due to him having Covid.
Alderson really dislikes BVW’s guys.
I said the same since Zamora and Tarpley are redundant – but also wouldn’t be surprised to see a handshake deal where Brach returns on a minor league deal until the Mets clear more spots.
I thought Brach was good in 2019 but he missed most of 2020 due to him having contracted Covid. I think he can refuse a minor assignment and will surface somewhere as a useful piece.
Brach is on a guaranteed major league contract. Even if they DFA or waive him, the Mets still pay him $2 million no matter whether he plays in Queens or Syracuse. Why would he return on a minor league deal?
Exactly Brach has guaranteed $ 2 MM from Mets and will be picked up somewhere in the Majors.
The key here is it’s only February. Assuming he clears waivers, he could accept an outright assignment. With the proviso that he be invited to Spring Training. And if he doesn’t make the team, he can ask for his release. Brach appears to be a casualty of a full roster. He’s a Jersey kid so it might be in his best interest to stay with the Mets. Either way, he gets his money.
Can’t say I’m a fan of the move given the low price point. He showed me enough in 2019 to warrant keeping around, but I guess the front office disagreed. I get the roster considerations, though.
They dfa’ed him over Zamora because the Mets have like 13 right handed relievers.
Literally any team trying to make the playoffs should sign him as their 25th/26th man
The word literally serves no purpose in your sentence.
It was used figuratively though.
They are probably about to sign Justin Wilson or another RP
Not much room left on that roster. Bullpen is especially crowded.
He was a great reliever from 2012-2018, but it seems age is catching up to him. Good career, but I doubt he stays around much longer. MiLB pickup for sure.
Watch out… 3B incoming???
twitter.com/craigcartonlive/status/135999830550219…
General managers talk to one another about players all the time. It is a major part of their job.
Yes, but this to go along with the Bryant and Turner rumors make me feel positive in saying the Mets will get their 3B in the next week.
Is he even reliable? I wouldn’t want to give up what Chapman cost.
I wouldn’t want you to either.
Who do the Mets have left in terms of prospects to make that trade. Chapman wouldn’t be cheap.
The Mets top prospects are in the lower minors. Alvarez a catcher, Allan SP, Pete Crow-Armstrong are the ones that you would want. Huge dropoff after those 3 IMO.
Gunna need those 3, plus McNeil and Baty too. Chapman’s trade value is probably the highest in the game’s.
Chill bro.
What do you mean? It’s not me making these up, its reality. It’s also why it won’t happen anytime soon (check back in a year or two though). Do you think Chapman has no trade value? You are wrong, he has pretty much the highest in the game, even more than Luis Castillo’s, both are getting back a young cheap star player in return, and a bunch out of a teams top 5 prospects. Please know your low-money/high-talent/high-production players values moving forward. Chapman already has 2 top 10 MVP seasons under his young belt. He’s better than McNeil and is totally worth a massive haul like that. Sorry to break it to ya…but yeah this isnt happening either, thats why its not even being reported here, so…
TJ ginn SP, Matt Allen SP, Crowe CF, Alvarez C, baty 3B, Mauricio SS. That’s Mets top 6, not in that specific order tho. Those are the supposed “untouchables”. So let’s see.
McNeil is not being traded.
Robrock, you are forgetting #1 prospect Mauricio, JT Ginn and Brett Baty as well as those 3 prospects you mentioned
Are you serious? The Mets would have to give up 4 of their top 5 prospects and a stud in McNeil for Chapman? That would be a package greater than what the Braves gave up for Texeira, or the Rangers gave up for Cole Hamels, or even what the Expos gave up to get Bartolo Colon!
Ronald Acuña has the highest trade value in the game
Chapman coming off bad injury.
@Koamalu They still have Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Matt Allan and Pete Crowe Armstrong. Although I’m not sure what the Athletics’ needs are right now.
Craig Carton is about as reliable as a random guy on the street.
Carton finds a name and starts spurious rumors. He needs to get fans calling, and sometimes he creates news to do so.
Chapman would take quite the package. Curious what the Mets would offer, especially knowing the A’s don’t like to rebuild and like MLB-ready talent.
Also can’t get past Craig Carton not being in prison.
That’s why they call him Craig “my source is just an orange juice” Carton
Craig “my credibility should be on the back of a Milk” Carton
Still not as bad as Bob Nightengale
The Orioles should bring him back. Nice veteran to mentor the kids.
So Brach can take 2.075 million to sit in the Mets minor league system for a few weeks or months then get called back up to a playoff caliber team or he can refuse the assignment and hope someone else will pay him that much?
Brach’s career FIP is 3.76
Brach in 2019: 54.1 IP, 3.73 FIP
Brach in 2020: 12.1 IP, 6.68 FIP
Talk about a prime bounceback candidate who got the short end of the stick due to the 60 game schedule. There’s a huge chance he is still good for real. Put a decent defense behind him and he’ll do great. Oakland has one of those and is looking for cheap FA’s only, big fit there.
Allen
Baty
Alvarez
Valdez
Szapucki
For Chapman
not even close.
Actually that’s a good deal for both sides.
Chapman is in his first year of arbitraiton. He has 3 full years of control left. You’re not getting that without giving up Mauricio.
Alvarez I regard higher so I put him.but if you want to sub him for Mauricio that perfectly fine.
Hell no
Are you sure your user name isn’t YankeesFan22?
Mets are not trading Allen, Baty or Alvarez for anyone not named Trout.
Hey kid 22, Pass that bong, will ya, it’s for Medicinal purposes, wink wink. I want what you’re smokin’.
Twins could take a flyer on him
Surprised the are cutting a veteran arm that wasn’t due to make much. That said, wouldn’t be surprised either way if he’s claimed or not.
*they
Eh, they’ve got Diaz/May/Lugo for the late innings and Castro, Betances, Familia, & Gsellman as righty relievers. Between that, and the younger guys already on the 40 man, he became expendable.
Uhhhhh phillly take a flier please
Philly’s biggest weakness was their bullpen. Of all years, this is the one where they could build an entirely new bullpen that’s also good based on available players.
Adding as many bullpen arms that could be useful would make sense though….Philly doesn’t want to do that
Yeah they need to be after anyone with a pulse lol
what exactly is a strikeout rate of 25.1?
Nevermind. the writer left out the percentage sign. My bad
Big mistake—I agree it should have been Zamora or Tarpley. I also agree that Drew Smith has potential, big time. Hope they get Brach back somehow.
Wasn’t gonna be either of them bc they need the LHP on the 40. Had to be brach.
Yankees really gonna put together the three headed monster of Britton, Brach, and O’Day
I can’t laugh. That would’ve been a monster bullpen ten years ago.
That O’s starting rotation was awful, but they could mash, and their BP was absolutely lights out. They were fun to watch.