The White Sox have traded reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves for pitchers Michael Soroka and Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor leaguer Riley Gowens.
Bummer, a 30-year-old southpaw, had spent his whole profession with the ChiSox. He developed from an unheralded Nineteenth-round choice into one of many sport’s extra quietly wonderful setup males. Bummer broke by way of in 2019, when he turned in a 2.13 ERA over 67 2/3 innings on the again of an eye-popping 72.1% grounder share.
The next February, Chicago signed Bummer to a long-term extension. Varied accidents impacted him between 2020-22, as he hung out on the shelf with biceps and lat points in his throwing arm and a proper knee pressure. Bummer remained efficient when wholesome, handing over a 2.92 ERA over that stretch.
That robust run prevention mark collapsed this previous season. Bummer was tagged for almost seven earned runs per 9 over 58 1/3 innings. Amongst pitchers with 50+ frames, solely 12 had the next ERA than his 6.79 mark. Whereas that’ll make this a head-scratching transfer for a lot of Atlanta followers, it’s clear the entrance workplace is putting much more inventory in Bummer’s promising underlying indicators.
Bummer struck out an above-average 29.2% of batters confronted this 12 months. He has fanned just below 27% of opponents over the course of his profession. He averaged 94.5 MPH on his sinker (a strong mark for a left-hander) and missed bats in opposition to hitters of both handedness. Whereas he’s not posting ground-ball numbers harking back to peak Zach Britton, he saved the ball on the bottom at a lofty 58.2% clip. That’s the Tenth-highest price amongst relievers who logged a minimum of 50 innings.
Extra to come back.
