NEW YORK - The Mets may have spent Sunday afternoon giving the rest of baseball a final reminder of what’s sitting in their bullpen.
With Monday’s trade deadline looming, Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban all worked scoreless innings in a 2-0 loss to the Marlins at Citi Field, a clean showcase for three relievers who are all drawing attention for different reasons. For a club buried in a disastrous 2026 season, the bullpen has been one of the few bright spots - and it may not stay intact much longer.
Raley’s appearance felt especially loaded. The left-hander, who has been with the Mets for four seasons and became a familiar presence in the clubhouse, is the likeliest to move as he nears free agency. Before taking the mound, he was in his usual element, exchanging greetings in the dugout and even belting out a line of Francisco Lindor’s “My Girl” before settling in with the other pitchers along the railing.
By the time the game ended, Raley had punched out three outs on just eight pitches against the top of Miami’s order. Weaver followed with a perfect seventh, striking out Griffin Conine, and Brazoban navigated around a two-out walk before finishing the eighth with two strikeouts.
“Those guys did a great job,” interim manager Andy Green said. “They kind of continue to prove who they are - some of the best relievers in baseball.”
The numbers back that up. The Mets’ relief group ranks ninth in ERA and seventh in WHIP in baseball this season, and Sunday only sharpened the sense that it could be a major target for teams looking for late-inning help.
Raley has a sub-2.00 ERA, with nine earned runs in 41⅓ innings for a 1.96 mark. Weaver has allowed just one earned run in 32 innings since the calendar flipped to May.
Brazoban, with three more years of control, kept rolling in what has been a career season.
Green said he had been given the green light to use his bullpen however he needed to in a one-run game late, and that’s exactly what he did.
“I think guys feel it. This is a baseball season, you've got to handle things,” Green said.
“For us, our ability to block things out and go out, compete and do what we need to do to win a baseball game. We didn't do that again today.
“Sure, it's heavy. It's friends walking out the door. At the same time, we got to do a better job playing baseball.”
The uncertainty around the roster wasn’t limited to the bullpen. During the game, Freddy Peralta was officially dealt to the Rays for prospects Aidan Smith, Gary Gill Hill and Emilien Pitrie.
“I love Freddy. I haven't even had the chance to see him yet.
I was managing the game, Green said. “He stepped out of the dugout to receive the news, did not return to the dugout at that point in time.
Most guys popped in to see him as quickly as they could while the game was going on out of respect, but we had a game so that's where we were focused.”
A few miles south in Brooklyn, Clay Holmes was also working through his own uncertain situation. In his third rehab start with the Cyclones, the right-hander allowed four runs, three earned, on seven hits in 5⅓ innings. His next start is still up in the air.
“I think we've got to get through the next 24 hours here, figure out what happens. Once we're on the other side of that, that will become much clearer. He has definitely lengthened out to the point where you would expect him to start a major league game going forward.”
The Mets also got an encouraging outing from Robert Stock, who made his first major league start since 2021 and returned to a big league mound after March surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. The 36-year-old allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out four across five innings.
“His stuff is good. If he's in the strike zone, which he was today, he's tough,” Green said.
“It was really good to see. He should take a ton of pride in the way he threw the baseball today.
It was really good.”
Still, the afternoon belonged to the bullpen arms that may soon be wearing different uniforms. For one day, at least, the Mets offered a clear look at exactly what’s available.
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On the roster side, the Mets also made room by promoting Robert Stock and Bryce Conley while designating Kevin Herget and MJ Melendez for assignment. For a team trying to thread the needle between present depth and future value, these are the kinds of decisions that can reshape the bullpen and the organizational picture in a hurry, even if the final ripple from this purge is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]