Once top secret NY Mets weapon is no longer classified

Laws regarding the concealed carrying of any weapon vary by state. Sensible places won’t let you strut around legally with a weapon holstered to your waist. Other places forget it isn’t the 1880s. The New York Mets went into spring training with their own top secret weapons. The cat’s out of the bag. Through 7 games and 10.2 combined innings of shutout baseball, the baseball world is going to begin to realize what the Mets have hidden in their bullpen between Huascar Brazoban and Max Kranick.

We could talk about them as individuals, but each is being used in a similar manner after equally good spring training performances. Three games each with Brazoban tallying 5 innings and Kranick 5.2, we can credit them both for doing a couple of things already that go beyond individual stats which, on their own, are impressive enough.

Having these two multi-inning gunslingers is saving the rest of the Mets bullpen while making this team way too dangerous to deal with

Many of us fell in love with Jose Butto last year who played a similar role. The converted starter found his way to the Mets bullpen out of both necessity and a lack of room in the rotation to actually start. Butto was good as a starter for the Mets when given the chance. For a couple of reasons, he was shifted into a relief role and that’s where he looks like he’ll stick for at least the time being.

Kranick went through a similar experience of moving into a relief role last year, all in the minor leagues. The Mets never needed him for more than an emergency situation in the Wild Card round where he never got a chance to do anything more than get introduced. Brazoban was a trade deadline addition who didn’t even make his way onto the playoff roster due to how poorly he pitched in the regular season, a stint that included a demotion not exclusively because the Mets needed a fresh arm but more so because he wasn’t throwing enough strikes.

Fast-forward a half year and these two have become a pair of the more beloved and important Mets players in the early going. Trading off days when they can eat up innings in relief, whether the team is winning or losing, has great benefits. It saves Carlos Mendoza from having to blow through multiple arms. In doing so, Brazoban and Kranick are also helping their case to stick around for as long as possible.

The Mets will eventually have a bullpen roster casualty once they shift to a six-man rotation. DFA’ing Danny Young is the popular fan choice. What will management think?

The Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, and Toronto Blue Jays have all undergone the Brazoban and/or Kranick treatment. Going two or three innings at a time cannot be understated especially when they’re either keeping the Mets in the game or sealing off a victory.

Tell yourself back in October of last year these two would be such crucial members of the bullpen and your past self would call the present day one a liar. Everyone’s noticing, including Kranick’s favorite player growing up.