One of two trades the Chicago White Sox made before last week’s deadline was sending Adrian Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays.

In the short term, the White Sox would be losing their best starting pitcher of the last two-plus months. Since May 20, Houser ranked fifth among qualified pitchers in MLB with a 2.10 ERA.

But in the midst of a rebuild, acquiring infielder Curtis Mead and pitching prospects Duncan Davitt and Ben Peoples may help the future more than Houser, a 32-year-old who will be a free agent after the 2025 season.

“Credit to [Houser] his performance in a White Sox uniform,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “Underneath the performance, I’m really proud we were able to identify some changes in what Adrian Houser had been working on in his performance when he was in Triple-A with the Texas Rangers and being able to convert on signing him and bringing him in here. He did have opportunities to go elsewhere. Being able to provide the runway and more than anything he deserves all the credit.”

“But I was also very proud of us identifying him and being able to get as much as we did out of Adrian Houser. It was 12 starts and to think we were able to find three players that feel like can be part of our Major League club in the near future, that’s pretty remarkable work overall. Certainly very grateful for what Adrian has done in a White Sox uniform.”

Houser made his first start with the Rays on Monday, and he wasn’t as sharp as the White Sox had come to expect. After retiring the side in the first inning, Houser gave up a two-run home run to Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell, who connected with a low changeup and crushed it 428 feet.

The Angels made Houser pay for his mistakes in the fourth. Nolan Schanuel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and he scored soon after on a single by Taylor Ward. Houser allowed back-to-back doubles in the sixth inning to Bryce Teodosio and Zach Neto, which gave the Angels a 5-1 lead.

That signaled the end of Houser’s debut with the Rays after just 5.2 innings, his third-shortest start of the season. Houser also gave up season-highs of 11 hits and five earned runs, while walking one batter and striking out three with 93 total pitches. That raised Houser’s ERA to a season-high 2.54.

On the other side of the trade, Mead could make his White Sox debut on the road Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, with first pitch scheduled for 8:40 p.m. CT. The White Sox placed corner infielder Miguel Vargas on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with a left oblique strain. Mead’s defensive versatility at first, second and third base should play a role in filling in for Vargas, who’s second on the team with 44 RBI.