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The Mets continue to add to their roster this week, making a trade to bolster their infield depth heading into spring training.
New York acquired utility man Vidal Bruján from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations on Thursday night.
Shortly after Minnesota announced the trade, the Mets revealed that veteran left-hander Richard Lovelady was designated for assignment to make room for Bruján on the team’s 40-man roster.
Bruján, who turns 28 before spring training, is entering his sixth big-league season. He can play all over the diamond, but has been used primarily as an infielder.
Over parts of five MLB seasons, the switch-hitter has a .199 career batting average in 645 plate appearances. Over 60 games with the Cubs, Orioles and Braves in 2025, Bruján hit .253 with zero home runs.
Bruján isn’t guaranteed to stick around with the Mets. He’d be expendable if they’re able to import other proven commodities over the rest of this offseason or into spring training. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has made it clear of late that he will continue to look for ways to upgrade this roster even after a flurry of recent acquisitions.
Depending on how everything unfolds before Opening Day, however, Bruján could potentially carve out a role on the Mets’ bench as a defensive substitution. The Mets have a surplus of infielders, but their depth did recently take a hit with Luisangel Acuña going to the White Sox in the Luis Robert Jr. trade. New York also has Ronny Mauricio as a backup infield option, although they can use his minor-league option and send him down to Triple-A to start the year.
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Meanwhile, this is the fourth time Lovelady has been designated for assignment by the Mets in the last eight months.
The left-hander was designated for assignment and then sent to Triple-A on three separate occasions during the regular season. He then re-signed with the club this past October after finishing the year within the organization. Lovelady posted a 6.30 ERA over eight outings with the big-league club in 2025, pitching to a 2.08 across 16 appearances with Triple-A Syracuse.
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