Mets Trade Huascar Brazobán to White Sox for Minor League Prospects

In a surprising move that unfolded in the early hours, the New York Mets have traded right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán to the Chicago White Sox. In return, the Mets received a pair of minor league pitchers, Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin, as they look to bolster their future.

Brazobán’s journey to the major leagues has been anything but conventional. Drafted in 2011, he spent nearly a decade in the minor leagues, including a four-year stint in the International League, before finally making his big league debut in 2023 with the Miami Marlins. The Mets acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline, sending Wilfredo Lara to Miami in exchange for his services. Although 2024 proved to be a challenging season for Brazobán, he rebounded strongly in 2025 and 2026, with 2026 marking his best year yet. He posted a remarkable 162 ERA+, a 2.56 ERA, and a solid 2.13 K/BB ratio.

However, the Mets decided to part ways with the experienced reliever, likely due to his age. As Brazobán approaches his 37th birthday in 2027, the unpredictability of relievers combined with the natural aging curve in baseball raised concerns about his long-term effectiveness.

The Mets’ return package features Gabe Davis, a promising right-handed pitcher and Chicago’s fifth-round draft pick in 2025. Davis is currently regarded as the White Sox’s 18th best prospect by MLB Pipeline and 20th by Baseball America. Standing tall at 6’9”, he has struggled to fully harness his potential since his time at Oklahoma State. After dominating in High-A ball with eight impressive starts, he faced challenges following his promotion to Double-A. According to South Side Sox, Davis possesses intriguing stuff, with a fastball that sits between 94-97 mph and can even touch 100. His best pitch is a tight, upper-80s power slider, which can reach up to 92 mph, serving as a formidable strikeout weapon when he’s on point.

Zach Franklin, the second prospect in the trade, was drafted out of the University of Missouri in 2023 and is currently unlisted in the major prospect rankings. He is known for his deceptive short arm action and utilizes a variety of pitches including a split-change, a breaking pitch akin to a slider, as well as a sinker and four-seam fastball. While Franklin encountered some difficulties in his promotion to Triple-A this season, he continues to record a high strikeout rate while maintaining a low walk rate, highlighting his potential as a solid relief option in the future.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.