The Atlanta Braves traded LHP Aaron Bummer to the Chicago White Sox late on Thursday night in exchange for RHP Michael Soroka, LHP Jared Shuster, INF Braden Shewmake, and INF Nicky Lopez.
Many people are questioning this move, yet it might make more sense than they think. Six factors will be the main focus of our in-depth analysis of this trade, which suggests that the Braves might have prevailed.
Michael Soroka
It’s no secret that throughout his professional baseball career, Michael Soroka has experienced numerous injuries and disappointments. Soroka had one chance to prove in 2023 that he could bounce back from an injury and be a valuable player in the major leagues.
Soroka threw 32.1 innings, giving up 23 earned runs (6.40 ERA) and walking 12 batters—a remarkably high total for a pitcher who depends on control—before suffering another season-ending injury. With a performance like this, Soroka’s future in Atlanta was too uncertain, and the Braves were unlikely to give him a contract. In 2024, Soroka is projected to make $2.8 million.
Jared Shuster
Because of the issues that the Atlanta Braves pitching rotation encountered in the previous season, Jared Shuster was required to make 11 starts. The 24-year-old lefty had a 4-3 record with a 5.81 ERA over 52.2 innings. Jared Shuster probably won’t be able to advance since Alex Anthopoulos’ major priority this offseason is strengthening the starting rotation.
Braden Shewmake
For the past few years, the Braves management has been debating who will be the team’s next shortstop in Major League Baseball. It seemed to be between Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake. Remarkably, the answer proved to be neither because of Orlando Arcia’s rise.
Shewmake, who is currently 26 years old, has not got much big league experience. Due of Arcia and Grissom’s play, he appeared to be hitting a wall with the Braves after struggling in Triple-A this past season.
Nicky Lopez
As absurd as it seems, Nicky Lopez might be the most valuable asset the Braves lost in this trade. He was an invaluable asset to Atlanta last season thanks to his great defensive play and offensive growth. Lopez could fill in the lineup and play if someone needed a day off at any position. In 2024, Lopez is expected to make almost $4 million. Had Lopez stayed in a Braves uniform, he would have received very little playing time due to the team’s stellar infield. In the event of an injury, AA will probably still search for a Lopez-like utility player, but at a far lower cost.
Aaron Bummer
Too many people are focused on Aaron Bummer’s problems in 2023 and fail to remember that he has had two seasons with an ERA under 3.00, the most recent of which was in 2022 when he struck out 30 batters in just 26.2 innings pitched. With his move to the National League, where the majority of hitters he will face have never seen him before, he has a great chance of succeeding in Atlanta.
He also suffered from being a groundball pitcher with one of the worst infields in all of baseball in 2023. That completely changes for Bummer as he gets a fresh start with Atlanta who has arguably the best infield in all of baseball.
Adding a hard-throwing left-handed reliever to the Braves bullpen could be very beneficial in 2024. Bummer will join Minter and Matzek as the third southpaw out of the pen.
3 Free Roster Spots and $9 Million Freed up
After sending their entire roster to Chicago, Atlanta now has 37 players on their 40-man roster. Additionally, Atlanta’s payroll was reduced by roughly $3.5 million. This gives Alex Anthopoulos the chance to spend a little more money and plunder the free agency market.
AA stated unequivocally that an increase in Atlanta’s payroll was planned for 2024. One may very well assume that this move puts the Braves in a good position to spend some money and sign a big-name free agent. It’s possible that rumors about Shohei Ohtani, Sonny Gray, and Aaron Nola are closer than most people think.
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