When the New York Mets traded Luisangel Acuna to the Chicago White Sox as part of the deal to acquire outfielder Luis Robert, Jr., they left a hole in their depth chart. But that hole was filled late last week when the Mets did a much smaller deal for Vidal Brujan of the Minnesota Twins.
The Mets acquired him for cash from the Twins, but he actually finished the season with the Atlanta Braves, who released him shortly thereafter. Brujan is currently out of options so that’s part of the reason he’s being moved around, the other being that he’s very light offensively, having posted a slash line of .199/.267/.276 over parts of five seasons in the big leagues.
That wasn’t always the case for Brujan, however. He was originally signed as a second baseman by the Tampa Bay Rays, who gave him a meager $15,000 bonus back in 2014. He hit well initially with a slash line of 320/.403/.459 in A ball, and he was recognized as the best athlete in the Rays system and the #3 prospect in Tampa’s system as recently as 2022.
After three years in the Rays' system, however, Brujan’s performance declined and he drifted. He played for the Miami Marlins in 2024 but hit just .222, then for the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.
Defensively, his athleticism and versatility will play for the Mets given their emphasis on run prevention this season. He can step in at short, second or third, which could be useful given that Bo Bichette has never played third and new second baseman Marcus Semien is in his thirties.
He could be a reliable defensive replacement for the Mets, and Brujal is also a switch-hitter who brings some speed to the table. He has some speed as well, having posted high stolen base totals in the minors, and Brujan is still just 27. He can also play in the outfield, which is another possibility right now given the Mets’ uncertain situation in left and center.
One thing Brujan won’t do is hit for power, as he currently has just five home runs in 645 plate appearances. Brujan is also out of options, so the Mets will probably try to get him through waivers and hope he sticks around in a non roster capacity after Opening Day, according to Anthony Franco of MLBTradeRumors.com.
The cash part of this deal was important for the Twins, but they’ve also added a different utility player, Tristan Gray, in a separate deal with the Boston Red Sox, which helps explain Bruin’s availability.