The Chicago White Sox bullpen is a big reason the team is on its way toward possibly having the most losses ever in MLB history during the 162-game era.
The Sox pen has blown 28 leads. It has become a common practice to fade the Sox if they have a lead late in the game because chances are pretty good the pen will blow the lead.
Now the relief group is down their most reliable arm after Tanner Banks was traded to Philadelphia. The relief group is without an official closer after Michael Kopech was dealt.
Making matters even worse is the pen is full of players who should not even be on this roster anymore.
There is no need to have John Brebbia, Steven Wilson, and Chad Kuhl on this team. They are veteran relief arms that should have been traded for any prospect a team was willing to give up even if it was a player to be named later.
Now that the trade deadline has passed and it is unlikely they will be with the team next season, there is no need to keep them around. Brebbia had a good June but was awful in July.
Wilson has been inconsistent and Kuhl is a veteran taking up a spot that should go to one of the team's talented young arms in their farm system.
Justin Anderson is not the answer in long relief or in a high leverage situation. Sammy Peralta still cannot get big-league hitters out.
There is no reason for Touki Toussaint to be on this roster since he is a veteran and we have already seen him fail last season.
Jared Shuster is about the only pitcher in the pen who should still be coming in from the pen. Even then, he has been so inconsistent that the White Sox could do better.
Ideally, these are the eight arms that should be in the bullpen for the rest of the season...
Closer: Prelander Berroa
His numbers are terrible at Triple-A Charlotte with a 6.69 ERA. You have to remember Charlotte has a tough park to throw in. He did pitch well at Double-A last year when he was with the Seattle Mariners.
He has pitched two career innings in the big leagues, so he is still a blank slate in the majors.
He has a fastball that can hit close to 100 mph and he can complement with a slider. That is the type of stuff to try out at as a closer. It is not like the Sox have a lot of chances to win this season and it is already lost, so it cannot hurt to test him out here.
If he can pass the test, that is a long-term, cheap option to have during the rebuilding phase.