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First Braves free agent signing of the offseason is underwhelming NY Mets depth piece

He's staying in the division.
ByTim Boyle
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May 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets infielder Vidal Brujan against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
May 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets infielder Vidal Brujan against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The MLB offseason is underway, at least when it comes to minor league signings. The New York Mets made a recent waiver claim on Kyren Paris. The Atlanta Braves’ first move of the offseason brought them a name Mets fans will know and not necessarily for the best of reasons.

The Braves have added Vidal Brujan to their roster on a fresh minor league contract. Added by New York in a cash for player trade in January of 2026, he was a perceived shortstop depth option in case Francisco Lindor wasn’t ready for Opening Day.

Lindor was ready, but later experienced a calf injury which took away a large portion of his campaign. Rather than turn to Brujan for help, the Mets made due with Bo Bichette at shortstop and Brett Baty at third base. Brujan managed to squeeze into only 9 Mets games with 13 total plate appearances. Only one hit with his usefulness not extending much beyond pinch running and defense, no one can expect him to do much more than what he did for the Mets.

The Braves reuniting with Vidal Brujan shouldn’t work out much better than what he offered the Mets

Brujan was a member of the Braves in 2025 and actually managed to hit .262 across 47 plate appearances. Now a slightly below .200 hitter for his career at .197, the former top 100 prospect has at least shown he can hit at the Triple-A level.

For Syracuse, Brujan batted .278/.385/.421 in 65 games. Versatile on defense but maybe not all that gifted, he’s filler material the Braves have tended to employ. In 2024, Luis Guillorme hung around on the Braves for what felt like forever only to appear in the same 9 game total Brujan did for the Mets in 2026.

The first signings for most teams typically tend to be as irrelevant as this one. Brujan opted for free agency rather than stay with the Mets in the minors. There was no real need for him despite Lindor and Ronny Mauricio landing on the IL at the same time. 

When Brujan was DFA’d in June, the replacement was old friend Zack Short whose 2024 tenure was uneventful. He was only 1 for 14 for the Mets and equally as forgettable. We can probably expect him back in some capacity with the organization in 2028. In the meantime, Brujan joins the Braves and we await which game he randomly helps them win against us with a smart base running play or out-of-nowhere defensive gem.

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