May 4, 2024
ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves acquired left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer in a multiplayer trade with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.
The Braves sent pitchers Mike Soroka, Jared Shuster and Riley Gowens, along with infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake, to the White Sox. The move creates some room on Atlanta's 40-man roster early in the offseason.
Bummer went 5-5 with a career-high 6.79 ERA in 61 appearances this year. The 30-year-old Bummer was selected by Chicago in the 19th round in the 2014 draft.
Atlanta is hoping a change of scenery will help Bummer return to the form that made him an effective lefty setup man. He had a 2.36 ERA in 32 appearances in 2022 and a 3.51 ERA in 62 games in 2021.
While the Braves led the majors with 104 wins this year, the White Sox finished fourth in the AL Central with a 61-101 record.
Soroka, Shuster and Shewmake are former first-round picks in the amateur draft. Lopez and Gowens are from the Chicago area.
The 26-year-old Soroka was an NL All-Star in 2019, going 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts. But his career has been hampered by a series of injuries.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander appeared in just three games over the previous three seasons. He played for Atlanta and Triple-A Gwinnett this year, going 2-2 with a 6.40 ERA in seven games with the Braves.
Shuster, 25, made his big league debut on April 2. He also played for Atlanta and Gwinnett this season, going 4-3 with a 5.81 ERA in 11 starts with the Braves.
The 29-year-old Lopez is from Naperville, Illinois. He was traded from Kansas City to Atlanta on July 30.
Lopez batted .231 with one homer and 25 RBIs in 94 games this year. He is a .249 hitter with six homers and 131 RBIs in five big league seasons.
