David Stearns explains Mets' decision to move Luke Weaver, Huascar Brazoban ahead of trade deadline

It was a busy trade deadline for the Mets, as expected. 

The team was long expected to part with all of their impending free agents, but there were still questions over whether they’d deal players with club control. 

Two of the most notable in that category were Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban.  

Weaver has slid into the back of the Mets’ bullpen tremendously after signing on a two-year deal this winter, allowing just one earned run since the beginning of May. 

The 37-year-old Brazoban has thrived in all different situations during a career-best season, and can’t hit the open market again until after the 2029 campaign.

David Stearns said that the Mets had a lot of internal discussions over the two, before reaching the difficult decision to move on from the both of them. 

“Ultimately the returns that we were able to get, we thought made sense and were in the best interest of the organization, recognizing that at this time of year you are able to get really good talent back for relief pitching,” he said.

Brazoban was dealt to the White Sox for two mid-tier pitching prospects, while Weaver was able to net a potential top-10 piece from the Pirates in INF Sammy Stafura. 

As for what’s next for the Mets’ bullpen, they’ll have a chance to look at some of their internal pieces down the stretch, but Stearns knows there’s plenty of work left to be done. 

“We’re going to have to go out and acquire relievers in the offseason in different ways to get our bullpen to where we expect it to be in 2027,” he said. “We’re also excited for some of the members of our ‘pen going forward who are going to have a chance to contribute who we think are going to do a very good job.”