The White Sox are staring at a bullpen market that could move quickly, and the Mets may be the team to watch. With New York trending toward a trade deadline sell-off, Chicago has a couple of relievers who fit the need and make sense on paper: Luke Weaver and Huascar Brazoban.
Weaver has turned himself into a dependable bullpen arm after beginning his career as a starting pitching prospect. The former first-round pick of the St.
Louis Cardinals never quite found a consistent third pitch as a starter, and that pushed him into relief in 2024. Since then, he’s bounced through the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Royals, Reds and Mariners before stabilizing with the Yankees, where he put up a 2.89 ERA in 2024.
His 2025 season there was still solid at 3.62 in 64.2 innings, and that helped him land a two-year, $22 million deal with the Mets this offseason.
He’s been one of the few bright spots for New York. In 38 games this year, Weaver has a 2.03 ERA and 0.83 WHIP, and opponents are batting just .157 against him.
His mix is straightforward - a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97-98 and a changeup he leans on nearly half the time - but it’s working. He’s striking out 27% of hitters while walking only 7%.
Weaver hasn’t handled closing duties well in the past, but he profiles as a strong setup option, and that could let Grant Taylor fully move into the closer role. At $11 million a year, he looks like the kind of reliever the White Sox should at least be calling about.
Brazoban brings a different kind of value. He didn’t reach the majors until 2022, when he was 32, but he’s carved out a real track record since then.
Signed by the Rockies in 2012, he spent five years in the minors, then had stops in the Venezuelan League and independent ball before finally getting to the Marlins. He made his debut that same year and became a steady bullpen piece, appearing in 97 games for Miami from 2022-2024 before landing with the Mets in a trade.
His numbers have kept climbing. Brazoban posted a 3.57 ERA in 52 Mets appearances in 2025 and has improved that to 2.70 in 40 games this season.
The key is his command of the bottom of the zone. He barely uses his four-seam fastball, even though it averages 96 MPH, and instead leans on a sinker and changeup.
That approach has produced a 54.5% ground ball rate this season, and the average exit velocity against him - 83.7 MPH - is the lowest in baseball. He’s not a huge strikeout arm at 23%, but he gets soft contact and grounders in bunches.
At 36, he’s under team control through his age-39 season in 2029, which makes him especially appealing. Relievers with that much control usually cost plenty, but he’s the kind of arm the White Sox should be ready to pursue.
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Jordan Hicks Suddenly Looks Like The Bullpen Answer White Sox Needed
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The early-season attempt to change his arm slot never really took, and Hicks has since moved back toward what he was doing before. The result has been a steadier version of the right-hander, one that teammates and pitching coach Zach Bove have both viewed favorably even while his recent outings have come in lower-leverage spots, leaving the bigger test still ahead. [Read more 🡒]