The overlooked trade target that could secure the AL West lead for Mariners

There's recently been chatter about the Seattle Mariners possibly putting together a "super 'pen" as they seek to win a second straight AL West title. Aroldis Chapman seemingly isn't on the menu, but among the many alternatives is one name that deserves more attention: Huascar Brazobán.

He is, for now, a member of the New York Mets. And the thing about the Mets is that they're bad. As in, the kind of bad that consists of a fired manager one day and an embarrassing little league home run the next. They should be condemned as a franchise, though a trade deadline fire sale will probably have to do.

The Mets don't actually have a ton to offer, but there are some goodies in their bullpen. In the same report that alludes to the "super 'pen" plan, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times mentioned an old friend who could fit back in Seattle: Luke Weaver, who has a 1.95 ERA in 35 appearances.

Brazobán is more of a down-ballot trade candidate, as he indeed doesn't even appear in ESPN's top 100 for the August 3 trade deadline. He's a 36-year-old who was barely a blip on the radar before 2026. As such, how believable are the right-hander's 3.00 ERA and 1.070 WHIP?

Well, how about very believable?

Why Huascar Brazobán is worth the Mariners' attention as a trade candidate

Had you looked at the xERA leaderboard for relief pitchers on Sunday morning, you would have seen Brazobán in the No. 4 slot at 2.20. Dig deeper, and you see a pitch mix that's all-in on a sinker and changeup that are both holding hitters to averages in the .100s.

The sinker comes in at 96.0 mph, while the changeup is a 90.6 mph bowling ball with better-than-average vertical and horizontal movement.

So, the stuff is legit. And it's working against both righties and lefties. The former have a .434 OPS against Brazobán, with the latter posting a .573 OPS. Both are hitting under the Mendoza line against him.

On top of that, Brazobán can get more than three outs as needed. He's done so in 13 of his 36 appearances, whereas no Mariners reliever has recorded more than seven outings with more than three outs.

Mariners might have to be ready to pay a premium for Huascar Brazobán

There might be a good reason why Brazobán's name isn't among ESPN's top 100 trade candidates. Setting aside his previous unremarkability, he's only a second-year arbitration-eligible player for 2027 and his club control runs through 2029.

Given his age, though, the Mets can't simply disregard selling high on Brazobán if the chance presents itself. Baseball Trade Values only estimates his surplus value at $2.5 million, but that's probably too conservative. He's genuinely one of the best relievers in MLB right now, and elite relievers tend to have inflated price tags in summertime negotiations.

However, the Mariners have the prospect capital to afford basically any piece they want. And while there are ways they could try to hack the trade market, their World Series aspirations should inspire a more straightforward approach: Just go get the best guys.

And for the purpose of building a "super 'pen," it's hard to do better than Brazobán.

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