In this ongoing 2024 roster retooling, Chris Getz’s first trade as general manager of the White Sox—a six-player transaction that sent veteran reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves on Thursday night—now positions him for further moves.
Following a 61-101 season in 2023, the White Sox had a lot of holes to cover. For starters, the positions at shortstop, second base, right field, catcher, and at least three starting pitchers stood out.
In order to fill those positions, the team acquired right-hand pitcher Michael Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake, and Minor League right-hander Riley Gowens in exchange for the seasoned southpaw who had a 6.79 ERA over 61 games in 2023.
RHP Mike Soroka, INF Nicky Lopez, LHP Jared Shuster, and SS are received by the White Sox. Braves receive: LHP Aaron Bummer from Braden Shewmake and RHP Riley Gowens.
In a Friday Zoom call with the media, Getz stated, “This is a foundational move for us.” “And I’m excited to add to what we recently acquired.”
The 30-year-old Bummer is coming off of a successful season with the White Sox. Combined with his excellent clubhouse demeanor and his potent sinker, he should fit right in with the National League East champions. The lefty has a contract that runs through 2024, with options with the club for 25 and 26.
Getz said that some teams had shown some interest in Bummer because there had been some talk about him during the 2023 Trade Deadline. However, the players that Braves general manager and president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos provided made the most sense for Chicago’s current situation.
Getz stated, “I reached a point where he presented something to the table that I thought was a step forward for where we needed to go.” Gaining innings there, beginning pitching, and better defense now opens up some options for us in terms of signing free agents or making future deals. A lot of this is dependent on other teams, some free agents’ deadlines, and when they wish to sign.
Lopez, who played for the Royals from 2019-23 and hails from Naperville, Ill., figures to bridge the gap at shortstop from Tim Anderson to Colson Montgomery, but he can effectively play around the infield. The left-handed-hitting Montgomery — the top White Sox prospect and No. 17 overall per MLB Pipeline — should arrive in the Majors sooner than later in ’24, although he isn’t currently being considered for breaking camp with the team, per Getz.
Adding Lopez, who is a strong defensive presence, marks the first step in fulfilling one of Getz’s primary offseason goals of making this team defensively solid or at least competent. Lopez, 29, is tied for 10th in baseball with 31 outs above average since the start of 2020 (Fangraphs).