White Sox turn up the heat on Pirates with late night trade stunner

The Pittsburgh Pirates went to bed Sunday night with one fewer bullpen option and considerably more pressure on general manager Ben Cherington to deliver before the trade deadline.

The Chicago White Sox acquired right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán from the New York Mets, sending Double-A starter Gabe Davis and Triple-A reliever Zach Franklin to New York. Brazobán had recently drawn interest from the Pirates, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

Brazobán may not have been the biggest name available, but he represented precisely the type of addition Pittsburgh still needs. The 36-year-old owns a 2.56 ERA with 49 strikeouts over 52.2 innings this season and could have immediately strengthened a Pirates bullpen that ranks in the bottom half of Major League Baseball in ERA, SIERA and Win Probability Added.

Cherington already added Camilo Doval, but that move cannot be the end of Pittsburgh’s bullpen reconstruction. Doval gives manager Don Kelly another high-upside arm, yet one reliever is unlikely to stabilize a unit that has repeatedly failed to protect leads and support one of baseball’s strongest starting rotations.

Pirates lose out on Huascar Brazobán as trade deadline pressure keeps growing

The White Sox’s decision to move aggressively for Brazobán should only increase the urgency in Pittsburgh.

Chicago was willing to surrender Davis, the No. 18 prospect in its system according to MLB Pipeline, despite his 0-5 record and 5.81 ERA across High-A and Double-A this season. Franklin, meanwhile, had a 4.37 ERA with five saves at Triple-A. That's not an insignificant return, but it also was not an impossible price for the Pirates to beat.

Perhaps Pittsburgh preferred other relievers. Perhaps its interest in Brazobán cooled after the Doval trade. But this is how deadline targets disappear: another team identifies a need, accepts the acquisition cost and completes the deal while everyone else continues exploring possibilities.

The Mets still have bullpen arms available. Luke Weaver remains a known Pirates target, while Pittsburgh has also been linked to left-hander Brooks Raley. Either would help, and the Pirates should continue discussing additional possibilities across the league.

But “interest” and “conversations” are no longer enough. The Pirates have spent too many offseasons and trade deadlines being connected to upgrades without ultimately acquiring them. They can't afford another round of reports explaining which players they pursued after those players land elsewhere.

Brazobán is off the board because the White Sox acted. Now the pressure is on Cherington to prove the Pirates can do the same.

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