Mets add much-needed pitching depth in trade with Marlins
Mike Puma of the New York Post has announced that the Mets and Marlins have made an interdivisional trade.
Right-handed pitchers Elieser Hernandez and Jeff Brigham are going from Miami to New York while minor-league pitcher Franklin Sanchez is the return.
Hernandez and Brigham had both been designated for assignment earlier this week while the Marlins were cutting dead weight ahead of the Rule 5 protection deadline.
Hernandez, 27, is able to function as both a starter and reliever, filling both roles for the Marlins over the course of his five-year tenure there. He has a career 5.04 ERA in 287+ innings, struggling mightily with control and the long ball.
Brigham, 30, has four years of big league experience under his belt, all with the Marlins. He has a 4.52 ERA in 79+ innings. Last season, he put up a 3.38 ERA and struck out nearly 28% of batters against just a 9.9% walk rate.
While neither player's stats jump off the page, this is some much-needed pitching depth that the Mets needed. As of today, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker, Seth Lugo, Adam Ottavino, Mychal Givens, Trevor May, and Trevor Williams are all on the open market, leaving the Mets with barren cupboards in their system.
One thing to note is that both of these hurlers have at least one minor league option remaining (Brigham has two), so there is no guarantee that either of them will crack the big league roster out of Spring Training next season.
Whether the duo makes the big league squad or not, the Mets were able to turn an average minor league pitcher into two arms that have big league experience.
Sanchez, the lone piece shifting from Mets to Marlins, is a 22-year-old righty who has experience as both a starter and reliever. Last year, he made 17 appearances (7 starts) split between two affiliates of the Mets, posting a 3.79 ERA in 35+ innings.
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