NY Mets Opening Day roster announcement is the right call

The New York Mets haven’t finalized their Opening Day roster, but at least one more player has been confirmed to join the 26. Fresh off of a strong WBC, Huascar Brazoban is guaranteed a roster spot.

An optional reliever the Mets could have sent to the minors in favor of a second lefty in the bullpen or Craig Kimbrel (the final battle going on), they’ll bank on Brazoban taking his preseason success into the regular season. They have good reason to. Brazoban was beastly for the Mets for the first two months in 2025. A repeat with maybe a little more care for his usage is exactly what they should seek.

Huascar Brazoban earned his 2026 Opening Day roster spot last year

A 1.40 ERA through his first 19.1 innings and a 1.26 ERA in his 14.1 innings in May, it wasn’t until June when things began to go poorly for Brazoban. Three horrific outings in the latter part of the month destroyed his overall season numbers.

Still able to finish with a respectable 3.57 ERA on the season in 63 frames, his totals could’ve been significantly better if you erase those bludgeonings at the end of June. You can’t and that’s the life a relief pitcher chooses.

Somewhat forgotten in the chaos that was the 2025 Mets season is how Brazoban spent nearly all of August in the minors and returned in September to give up only 2 earned runs in 10 innings across 6 appearances. He was buried on the depth chart yet useful even when all he did was relieve a starter early and give the Mets innings.

His role heading into this year is a little more fluid. Tobias Myers is considered their true longman. What does it mean for Brazoban who is low on the depth chart yet capable of being as good as almost anyone else when at his best?

The decision to carry him on the Opening Day roster is likely in part to give them that added roster flexibility. They could have continued a battle between Kimbrel and Bryan Hudson/Richard Lovelady and let one of those groups fail before giving Brazoban his chance. The Mets will do the more practical thing and just carry the best players possible which is good news for Carson Benge and Mike Tauchman who should also help fill out the roster rather than a needless utility player like Vidal Brujan.

Brazoban may not be a game one through 162 match for the Mets as his option will surely end up in question. If all pitchers are healthy, he might be the one sent down in favor of bringing A.J. Minter back from the IL sometime in May.

In his final WBC appearance, Brazoban got Gunnar Henderson to ground out to end the fifth. He struck out the side in the sixth. Against higher competition than he would have likely faced in any Mets spring training game, the 36-year-old goes into his fifth MLB season looking not in mid-season form but rather early 2025 season form which was the best version of him we got.