5 NY Mets players who could get buried on the roster early in 2026

2) Huascar Brazoban

Huascar Brazoban seemed to have a good shot at making the Opening Day roster out of camp. Now, it’s feeling less likely. He essentially won a role last year due to Paul Blackburn’s injury despite an impressive spring performance. He had a really good start to 2025 followed by a mid-year beating.

Brazoban’s remaining minor league option will be useful for the Mets even if he does make the Opening Day roster. Because they can send him to the minors and the roster is stacked with non-optional pitchers, he’s likely one of the first cut from the 26-man roster whenever the team needs an arm. That’s the best case scenario for him.

The worst is he doesn’t make the team which seems increasingly possible with Craig Kimbrel vying for a roster spot and lefty Bryan Hudson there to take over for A.J. Minter until his return from the IL. Brazoban would be one of the weakest links among right-handed pitchers on the club. Unless the Mets prefer to have Tobias Myers available to start right out of the game or actually need him to due to injuries, it’s sensible to expect Brazoban to get reacquainted with Syracuse.

It’ll be a big year for Brazoban whose final minor league option is sure to get exhausted. He’ll automatically become a Mets non-tender or trade candidate in the offseason. Even likelier, he lingers around until spring training in a competition with others.