2 NY Mets players seemed to seal their immediate fate last night

A 1.40 ERA after April, a 1.34 ERA after May, and by mid-June, it only ballooned to 1.62. Things had been going so well for Huascar Brazoban. A sneaky trade deadline find last year for the New York Mets was cruising through his first 30 games of the season.

Since then, Brazoban’s magic has worn off. He has pitched in 14 more games, logging 12.2 innings. 15 earned runs have been charged against him. He has walked 13 and struck out 14.

On shaky ground only to correct some things and look sharper in July, his failure to cover first base in the club’s loss on Monday was enough for him to seal his fate. Brazoban isn’t getting shot out of a cannon onto the waiver wire. He should, however, be on his way to Syracuse where he spent a part of last season following a demise on the mound.

Huascar Brazoban is no longer a dependable part of the Mets bullpen, Rico Garcia is

The Mets were entering a point where they’d have to make an additional roster move if they were to acquire another relief pitcher before Thursday’s trade deadline. The addition of Gregory Soto had Jose Castillo predictably DFA”d. One more move and they would have to choose between demoting Brazoban or DFA’ing Rico Garcia for a second time.

Well, Garcia has yet to allow a run for the Mets. Two more shutout innings versus the San Diego Padres on Monday gives him 9.2 clean innings. He has walked just one batter, allowed 3 hits, and struck out 12.

Garcia doesn’t have minor league options while Brazoban does. It isn’t ideal when looking at the ability to transfer players back and forth from the minor leagues. However, Garcia is giving them no reason to push him aside. Brazoban is.

Keeping Garcia around over Brazoban would still have the former on a tight rope. Assuming the acquisition they make is for someone without minor league options, Reed Garrett would be the lone reliever they could swap in exchange for another minor leaguer. Again, this isn’t ideal; especially when you’re a team routinely in need of a sixth starter.

The Mets mine as well see how far Garcia can get pushed. He’s red hot right now. Brazoban is as cold as it gets. We can excuse the batters hitting a good pitch. It’s those mental errors that show the true wear and tear of a 162-game season. Right now, Brazoban appears exhausted in every way possible.