After sending Seranthony Domínguez to Seattle in a trade package for Luis Castillo, the Chicago White Sox wasted little time finding an arm to replace him in the bullpen.
Just after midnight Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the White Sox had acquired right-hander Huascar Brazobán from the New York Mets in exchange for Double-A right-hander Gabe Davis and Triple-A right-hander Zack Franklin.
The move gives the White Sox another high-leverage arm in the back end of the bullpen, and with Brazobán under team control through 2030, general manager Chris Getz acquired him at a relatively modest cost.
Davis, the White Sox’s No. 18 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was the only top-30 prospect included in the deal. The former fifth-round pick offers plenty of upside as a hard-throwing right-hander, but he has struggled since his promotion to Double-A this season. After posting a 2.63 ERA across 27 1/3 innings with High-A Winston-Salem, Davis has seen his numbers take a sharp turn with the Birmingham Barons.
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In 10 starts at Double-A, the 22-year-old owns an 8.10 ERA, with opponents hitting .320 against him. He has allowed 11 home runs while recording 37 strikeouts and 17 walks over 37 2/3 innings.
Meanwhile, Franklin, a 10th-round pick by the White Sox out of the University of Missouri in the 2023 MLB Draft, departs the organization after posting a 3.46 ERA across four minor league seasons. The 27-year-old had primarily worked out of the bullpen for Triple-A Charlotte this season, recording a 4.37 ERA across 33 appearances while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
While both pitchers possess intriguing tools, neither is expected to provide immediate value at the major league level. Davis, in particular, is not projected to reach the big leagues until 2028.
While the White Sox still have two top-30 prospects in Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith who could see time out of the bullpen this season, Getz deserves credit for strengthening the unit with a controllable reliever without sacrificing any of the organization’s top-10 prospects. Brazobán not only provides an immediate boost to the bullpen but also has the potential to remain a long-term piece for Chicago, assuming there is a 2027 season following the looming labor uncertainty.
The major concern with Brazobán moving forward is his age, but make no mistake, he has been nasty this season. The 36-year-old is putting together a career year with the Mets, posting a 2.56 ERA across 46 appearances while recording six saves over 52 2/3 innings.
Unlike most dominant relievers, Brazobàn’s strikeout numbers are a bit underwhelming, but he makes up for it with his ability to limit hard contact. Despite generating a 23.7% strikeout rate, which is barely above league average, Brazobán’s expected 2.75 ERA is one of the best in baseball.
Opponents have posted a .198 expected batting average against Brazobán, a number driven largely by his ability to limit quality contact. His average exit velocity, barrel percentage and hard-hit rate all rank in the MLB’s 90th percentile or better, while his 53% ground-ball rate ranks in the 91st percentile among major league pitchers.
That high ground-ball rate should play particularly well at a hitter-friendly park like Rate Field, especially with a much-improved White Sox defense behind him. Brazoban does issue a lot of free passes.
His 11% walk rate this season has been one of the few blemishes in an otherwise dominant campaign, but it is also a trend that has followed him throughout his career. Over six major league seasons, Brazobán has posted an average walk rate of 11.7%.
While he has five pitches in his arsenal, Brazobán is primarily a two-pitch pitcher this season, leaning heavily on his sinker and changeup, which make up 91 percent of his offerings. His changeup has been particularly devastating, producing a 31% whiff rate while also limiting opponents to a .169 batting average.
The White Sox bullpen has been one of the team’s strengths this season; however, after Dominguez was jettisoned from the role after converting on 12 of his 17 save opportunities, manager Will Venable has had to get creative in the ninth inning.
While Grant Taylor has emerged as the primary ninth-inning option, Sean Newcomb has also been asked to record multiple-inning saves on several occasions. Adding another trusted late-inning arm should help ease the workload and give Venable more flexibility when managing high-leverage situations.
It’s difficult to view this trade as anything but a win for the White Sox. The bullpen gets an immediate boost, the organization avoided sacrificing significant prospect capital, and Brazobán provides Chicago with a controllable arm who can contribute not only during this postseason push but for multiple seasons as the team’s contention window remains open.
