Chicago White Sox Trade Aaron Bummer to Atlanta Braves
Former All-Star Pitcher and Naperville Native Included in Package
CHICAGO — In a late-night trade on Thursday, the Chicago White Sox have sent relief pitcher Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a package of players that includes a former all-star pitcher and a hometown hero from Naperville.
The White Sox, as stated in a press release, have acquired 2019 all-star pitcher Michael Soroka, along with pitchers Jared Shuster and Riley Gowens, as well as infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake.
Soroka, a left-handed pitcher standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 225 pounds, spent most of the 2023 season with the Triple A Gwinnett Stripers. He recorded a 4-4 record with a 3.41 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 17 starts. At the major league level with Atlanta, Soroka went 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA and 29 strikeouts in seven games, six of which were starts.
Over the course of four seasons with the Braves, Soroka has achieved a 17-8 record with a 3.32 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 44 games. Notably, he had an outstanding rookie year in Atlanta, finishing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting and earning a spot on the NL All-Star team mid-season with a 13-4 record and a 2.68 ERA.
Jared Shuster, another player joining the White Sox, split his time between the Triple A Gwinnett Stripers and the Atlanta Braves during the 2023 season. In 11 starts with the Braves, he went 4-3 with a 5.81 ERA, while posting a 5-6 record with a 5.58 ERA in 16 starts with the Stripers.
Nicky Lopez, a native of Naperville and a graduate of Naperville North High School, had an impressive performance in 2023. Playing for both Atlanta and the Kansas City Royals, Lopez recorded a slash line of .231/.326/.307 with eight doubles, three triples, a home run, 25 RBIs, 26 walks, and 32 runs scored over 94 games.
Before joining the Braves, Lopez began the 2023 season with the Kansas City Royals and was later traded on July 30 for left-handed pitcher Taylor Hearn. Noteworthy achievements for Lopez include finishing fifth in the race for the 2021 American League batting title with a batting average of .300 and being tied for tenth in baseball with 31 outs above average since the start of the 2020 MLB season, according to Fangraphs.
Braden Shewmake, who spent the majority of the 2023 season in Triple A with Gwinnett, will also be joining the White Sox. He recorded a .234 batting average with 28 doubles, 16 home runs, 69 RBIs, and 79 runs scored. Shewmake made his major league debut on May 5 last year against the Baltimore Orioles, appearing in two games for the Atlanta Braves.
With a career slash line of .250/.309/.407, Shewmake has played in 346 minor league games, accumulating 38 home runs, 174 RBIs, and 200 runs scored.
Rounding out the package, Riley Gowens made his professional debut in the Braves system in 2023. He achieved a 1-1 record with an impressive 1.15 ERA across 15.2 innings pitched, split between the Rookie League Braves and Single A Augusta.
It is worth noting that Soroka, Shuster, and Shewmake were all former first-round picks of the Atlanta Braves.
Aaron Bummer, the relief pitcher traded by the White Sox, had a mixed performance last season. He finished with a 5-5 record, a 6.79 ERA, and 79 strikeouts over 61 appearances and 58.1 innings pitched. Bummer had spent seven years with the White Sox prior to the trade.
Following this trade, the White Sox roster has now increased to 40 players.