The Chicago White Sox didn't acquire Huascar Brazoban at the trade deadline to eat meaningless innings in August. They brought him in with October in mind, which makes what happened during his first month in Chicago difficult to overlook.
Huascar Brazoban hasn't been the reliever White Sox traded for
Chicago knew exactly what it needed when the trade deadline arrived. The White Sox were leading the AL Central and needed another reliable arm for the bullpen, so general manager Chris Getz sent right handers Gabe Davis and Zach Franklin to the New York Mets for Brazoban.
On paper, it made plenty of sense.
Brazoban had a 2.56 ERA across 46 appearances with the Mets, allowing just 15 earned runs in 52 2/3 innings. He had also struck out 49 batters and looked like the type of veteran reliever who could give manager Will Venable another dependable option late in games.
That version of Brazoban hasn't shown up consistently in Chicago.
Before landing on the injured list with a left lat strain on August 25th, Brazoban had a 6.30 ERA and 1.80 WHIP through his first 10 innings with the White Sox. Even more concerning was his control. He walked six batters while striking out only five.
Those aren't exactly numbers that scream "give him the ball with a one run lead in October."
Brazoban's return gives him one final chance to change the conversation
There is still time for Brazoban to make Chicago feel better about the trade.
The 36 year old returned from the injured list Sunday against Detroit and immediately provided a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit without issuing a walk, helping the White Sox finish off an 8-1 victory and take three of four from the Tigers.
It was a good start. It was also one inning.
That's the difficult part for Venable with the postseason approaching. Brazoban's track record with the Mets suggests there is a useful reliever in there somewhere, but the White Sox haven't seen enough of him to blindly trust that pitcher will suddenly reappear when the stakes are highest.
His struggles weren't limited to one disastrous appearance, either. Brazoban allowed runs in four of his final five outings before going on the injured list. During that stretch, he allowed seven hits, five earned runs, five walks and two home runs while recording just two strikeouts.
Then came nearly a month away from a mound in a major league game.
Chicago doesn't have the luxury of spending another few weeks figuring this out.
White Sox have a postseason decision coming
This is where the trade deadline evaluation gets complicated.
Chicago acquired Brazoban because it expected to be playing meaningful baseball in September and, ideally, October. That's exactly where the White Sox find themselves. With six games remaining after Sunday's win, they sit one game behind Cleveland in the AL Central while holding a three game cushion for the final American League Wild Card spot.
The White Sox got what they wanted. They're playing for something.
Now they need the pitcher they acquired specifically for this situation to give them a reason to use him.
Venable doesn't need Brazoban to recreate his entire season with the Mets over the final week. He needs enough clean innings to know what he has. A postseason bullpen doesn't leave much room for experimentation, especially when one walk or one poorly located pitch can turn an entire series.
Sunday was encouraging. Another few appearances like it could change the conversation quickly.
Until then, Brazoban remains one of Chicago's more uncomfortable postseason questions.
The White Sox paid for his strong first four months when they surrendered two pitching prospects at the deadline. They can't get those prospects back, and October isn't the place to keep waiting for a trade acquisition to rediscover himself.
Brazoban was brought to Chicago to become someone Venable could trust when the games got bigger.
Those games are almost here. Now he has to earn that trust.
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