Grading the Atlanta Braves-Chicago White Sox pitching-centered trade
The Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox made a deal late Thursday night. Here's how the two teams fared in the swap.
By Kevin Henry
The Atlanta Braves stocked up their bullpen on Thursday night, making a deal with the Chicago White Sox to acquire left-hander Aaron Bummer.
Grades: So how did the Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox fare in the trade?
Here's the full deal ... Bummer heads to Atlanta in exchange for pitchers Michael Soroka, Jared Shuster, Riley Gowens and infielders Braden Shewmake and Nicky Lopez. Yes, it's a 5-for-1 deal, but both sides can claim potential advantages through the swap.
Atlanta Braves grade: A
While the Braves sent Chicago more players than they got in return, with roster deadlines approaching, those who were sent to the White Sox make sense, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
Soroka and Lopez would have been free agents after being non-tendered today. Lopez was a great fit, but the Braves didn’t want to pay him approximately $4M next year. Shuster fell way down the SP depth chart this year. Shewmake was passed by Luke Waddell. All were very expendable https://t.co/Ay4yaL3lyU
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) November 17, 2023
Yes, the Braves are taking a chance on Bummer, who had a 6.79 ERA in 58.1 innings over 61 games last season. However, a deeper dive into the statistics shows that the southpaw may well have encountered some bad luck, with his FIP standing at 3.58. His walks (5.6 per nine innings) and strikeouts (12.0 per nine innings) were both higher than 2022, so there was a mixed bag there as well.
Bummer's career ERA (3.84) and FIP (3.38) over 272.0 innings are much more in line with what Atlanta hopes he will produce.
Chicago White Sox grade: B+
This grade could almost be marked as incomplete because we likely won't know exactly what the White Sox got in this package until the season actually gears up. Most of the trade grade, however, will center about Soroka's ability to stay healthy (something that has been hard for him to do since the start of the 2020 campaign) and produce as a starter for the White Sox.
The 26-year-old right-hander did make it back to the mound for the Braves last season after suffering yet another Achilles injury, so there is hope for him moving forward.
With the White Sox needing to rebuild, taking a chance on players makes sense, especially players who all have MLB experience (Gowens is the only one on the list above who has never stepped onto an MLB field).
On the surface, the deal makes sense, but Soroka will have to deliver and Shuster will have to evolve into a starter the White Sox can depend on. Those are both big "ifs," but Chicago can afford to take those chances with this deal.
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