Mets send Brazobán to White Sox; Raley headed to Phillies

NEW YORK -- The Mets’ selloff, advertised for weeks but slow to begin, hit full force in the hours leading up to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

After making three deals in the weeks leading up to the Deadline, the Mets continued their work Monday morning with trades of relievers Brooks Raley to the Phillies and Huascar Brazobán to the White Sox.

Those followed deals of Freddy Peralta to the Rays, A.J. Minter to the Twins and David Peterson to the Cubs. All told, the Mets have dealt five players off their Major League roster and received 10 prospects in return.

Phillies receive: LHP Brooks Raley
Mets receive: OF John Spikerman (PHI's No. 27 prospect), RHP Luke Gabrysh

In the weeks leading up to the Deadline, Raley profiled as one of the most likely players in baseball to move. Since returning from Tommy John surgery last year, Raley has produced a 2.15 ERA in 75 outings. Among pitchers who have thrown 100 career innings for the Mets, Raley ranks second with a 2.31 ERA behind only Addison Reed (2.09).

But the 38-year-old Raley, like the majority of players the Mets included in trade talks, can be a free agent after this season. That made him expendable. The Mets cashed in with the acquisitions of John Spikerman, Philadelphia’s 27th-ranked prospect who has stolen 55 bases in the Minors and been caught just four times, and Luke Gabrysh, an unranked starting-pitching prospect.

The situation was not quite the same for Brazobán, who still has three-plus years of team control remaining, but Mets officials sensed a sell-high opportunity for the 36-year-old reliever.

TRADE DETAILS
Mets receive: RHP Gabe Davis (NYM No. 18), RHP Zach Franklin
White Sox receive: RHP Huascar Brazobán

For Brazobán, the Mets picked up a pair of right-handed pitching prospects in Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin. The former was Chicago’s 18th-ranked prospect, an Oklahoma State teammate of Nolan McLean and Carson Benge who is now in Double-A. The latter is a near big league-ready reliever who struck out 60 batters over 45 1/3 innings for Chicago’s Triple-A Charlotte affiliate.

Brazobán’s team control made him a tantalizing piece for contenders given both his effectiveness and versatility. In 46 games for the Mets this season, Brazobán worked as an opener, a middle reliever and a late-game leverage piece. He also showcased his abilities during the World Baseball Classic, striking out seven over four shutout innings for the Dominican Republic.

Other pieces the Mets could sell on Monday include starting pitcher Clay Holmes, reliever Luke Weaver and outfielders Tyrone Taylor and Luis Robert Jr.