Phillies Land Reliever Brooks Raley In Trade With Rival Mets

by USports EditorsAugust 6, 2026, 1:42 pm >

The Philadelphia Phillies made an unusual in-division move Monday, acquiring left-handed reliever Brooks Raley from the New York Mets in exchange for two minor leaguers, further reinforcing a bullpen that had been a glaring weakness in recent weeks.

Heading to New York in the deal are High-A right-hander Luke Gabrysh and High-A outfielder John Spikerman, the Phillies’ No. 27 prospect. Gabrysh entered the trade with a 3-8 record and a 5.14 ERA this season, while Spikerman was slashing .260/.419/.340 with zero home runs, nine RBIs and 18 stolen bases in 30 games.

Raley, 38, arrives as arguably the best left-handed reliever who was available on the trade market, a year removed from returning from Tommy John surgery. He’s been outstanding for the Mets this season, posting a 1.96 ERA with 40 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP across 41⅓ innings over 45 appearances, numbers that would represent the best single-season ERA+ of his career at 212.

Since being acquired by New York from Tampa Bay following the 2022 season, he compiled a 2.31 ERA across 149 appearances with the club. His platoon splits this season aren’t drastic — left-handed hitters are batting .186 with a .542 OPS against him, while right-handed hitters are batting .216 with a .636 OPS — making him a viable matchup option regardless of who he’s facing. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

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The move addresses an urgent need for Philadelphia, which had lost nine of its last 10 games before finally snapping the skid against Baltimore over the weekend, with shaky relief pitching a central culprit throughout the slide. Raley is expected to slot into a high-leverage, late-inning role alongside fellow left-hander José Alvarado, helping bridge the gap to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, one of the top relievers in baseball. It marked the second bullpen addition of the day for president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who earlier Monday acquired second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian from the San Francisco Giants.

For the Mets, the trade continues a rapid sell-off under president of baseball operations David Stearns, who completed his third trade in roughly 24 hours by moving Raley. New York has now also dealt reliever A.J. Minter to the Minnesota Twins, reliever Huascar Brazobán to the Chicago White Sox, and starter Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays since Thursday, as the club pivots away from a disappointing 2026 season and looks to restock its farm system ahead of the deadline.