After their historic collapse in 2025, the New York Mets have gone a long way toward remaking their roster this offseason, but a fresh trade proposal from an analyst at Just Baseball would address one of the most glaring remaining needs — the bullpen.
The Mets have not filled the hole left by the loss of dominant closer Edwin Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, and even with Díaz last year, the Mets blew 28 save opportunities.
The proposal from Just Baseball analyst Joe Browne offers a targeted fix to replace Díaz: swap three players, headlined by reliable starter David Peterson, to the Houston Astros for 28-year-old fireballer Bryan Abreu — a 101 mph righty who locked down seven saves after stepping into the closer role when Josh Hader‘s season ended in August.
The Mets made an aggressive series of moves this offseason , trading for Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta and Chicago White Sox 2023 All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr., and signing Toronto Blue Jays two-time All-Star Bo Bichette as a free agent.
Though they signed relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver as free agents from the New York Yankees, the Mets still need to strengthen the back end of their bullpen since three-time All-Star closer Díaz, who saved 112 games over his last four healthy seasons, signed a contract with the World Series champion Dodgers.
Abreu’s 101 mph Stuff Fits Mets’ Biggest Need
With Hader claiming to be “back to normal” following his season-ending shoulder capsule sprain, the nine-year veteran is a lock to move back into the closer’s role in Houston, relegating Abreu back to the setup role where he was dominant, striking out 76 in 48 1/3 innings through the first four months last season, with a 1.86 ERA over that span.
In a potential move to the Amazins, Abreu would compete for the closer’s spot with Williams, but would certainly have a much better chance at taking over the high-profile role than he would in Houston. Playing on a one-year, $5.9 million contract, a solid season as a closer in New York sets the seven-year veteran up for a lucrative free-agent payday heading into 2027.
From the Mets perspective, acquiring Abreu — whose four-seam fastball has maxed out at 101 mph and averaged 97.3 last season, according to Statcast — gives them a lockdown bullpen after the sixth inning with Weaver and Williams setting up the new closer.
High Price: Mets Lose Trusted Starter and 2 Prospects
According to Just Baseball analyst Browne, however, Abreu would come at a steep price.
Topping the package, six-year veteran starter David Peterson, who has logged 506 1/3 innings in 106 starts over the past four seasons for the Mets with a respectable 4.00 ERA over that period.
But surrendering a solid starter for a pitcher Browne calls a “strikeout machine” out of the bullpen would likely be the minimum price required. According to Browne, the Mets would also send two prospects: “Nick Morabito and R.J. Gordon. Morabito is ranked 12th in the Mets’ farm system according to Just Baseball and is very close to being major league-ready.”
Morabito, the Mets second-round draft pick in 2022, is a 22-year-old outfielder who put up a .733 OPS in 118 Double-A games last season.
But Gordon, according to Browne, “is the player with the most upside long-term, giving the Astros a chance at developing an arm that can fill a spot in the back of their rotation for years to come.” The 24-year-old righty posted a 3.36 ERA between the High-A and Double-A levels in 2025, with 147 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings. The 2024 13th-rounder is rated as the Mets No. 24 prospect by MLB Pipeline.
“The Mets give up a lot of value in this deal, but get the best player in return,” Browne concluded. “They can also easily head into the free agent market and backfill Peterson’s innings with someone like Jose Quintana.”
Mets Trade Idea: 101 mph Astros Closer Fixes Edwin Díaz Hole