Braves Complete 6-Player Trade With White Sox

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox were working overtime last night, completing an overnight trade that involved six players—five of them going from the Braves to Chicago for lefty reliever Aaron Bummer. The big name heading to the Windy City: Mike Soroka.

Trade news:

Braves receive: left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer, under club control through 2026.

White Sox receive: right-handed starter Mike Soroka, left-handed starter Jared Shuster, shortstop Braden Shewmake, infielder Nicky Lopez and right-handed starter Riley Gowens.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 17, 2023

Soroka broke through as an elite starting pitcher in 2019 rookie, but has suffered devastating injuries ever since, only to finally resurface as a viable big league option this past season.  

Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman explains that all of the players the Braves gave up were "expendable," as both Soroka and Lopez would have been free agents once the Braves would have non-tendered them today. And while Lopez was a great fit, the Braves didn’t want to pay him approximately $4M next year. Shuster had been passed over by many others on the Atlanta starting pitching depth chart, and Shewmake was passed by Luke Waddell on the 40-man.

Bummer had a 6.79 ERA, but he was very "unlucky" according to the metrics, as he had a 3.58 FIP mark. Also, he struck out 12 batters per nine innings, and is under team control through 2026. He provides another dominant lefty for the bullpen.

The White Sox get two starters to plug into their rotation in Soroka and Shuster, with a chance to re-sign Soroka if he performs, and team control on former elite prospect Shuster for several more seasons.

Photo: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports