The Mets are sliding toward seller mode, and the Rangers look like a club ready to shop.
New York sits at 35-50, 15.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 10 games out of the final wild-card spot in the NL. With the deadline nearing and Carlos Mendoza already fired, the expectation is that the Mets will start moving pieces. That opens the door for Texas, which has surged into first place in the AL West after a huge four-game sweep and now appears positioned to buy.
There’s already a recent link between the two front offices. Chris Young just completed a deal with the Mets for Brandon Nimmo, so if the Rangers want to strike again, the relationship is there.
Three Mets stand out as possible fits: Huascar Brazoban, Luke Weaver and Jared Young.
Brazoban has been one of the better bright spots in New York’s bullpen this season. In middle relief, he’s gone 4-2 with a 1.94 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP across 41.2 innings, while striking out 38 batters.
The deeper numbers are just as strong: a 2.59 xERA, .192 xBA, 83.2 mph average exit velocity, 1.9 barrel percentage, 21.7 Hard Hit percentage and 55.7 Ground Ball percentage. He’d give Texas the kind of dependable sixth- or seventh-inning arm that can bridge to Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz.
Weaver has been just as sharp. He’s posted a 2.06 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 35 innings, along with a 2.75 xERA, .197 xBA, 28.9% strikeout rate and 31.4% Hard Hit rate. If the Rangers want another right-handed reliever for the middle innings, he fits the same lane as Brazoban.
That’s an area where Texas could use help. Cole Winn, Joe Ross and Chris Martin have been inconsistent, and Peyton Gray is still a rookie. The Rangers also just signed veteran right-hander Chris Paddack, so that could affect how any talks with the Mets unfold.
Young would fill a different need. The left-handed hitter could work as a platoon partner for Jake Burger, who has had recent success but still struggles against right-handers.
In 103 at-bats with the Mets, Young is hitting .233/.310/.447 with six home runs and 14 RBI. All six of those homers have come against right-handers, and his split OPS sits at .793.
None of the three is a headline-grabbing addition on his own. But each could help Texas deepen the roster for the second half, and that matters in a crowded race for a postseason spot.
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