Chicago White Sox GM Addresses Aaron Bummer Trade, New Reliever Roles
Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz made the first big move of his leadership tenure on Thursday, shipping out reliever Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves for five players.
On Friday, he spoke about the move and what it means for guys on his roster.
Per Vinnie Duber of ALLCHGO.com:
Chris Getz said trade with Braves helped him establish a foundation for the offseason by addressing needs in rotation and with infield defense. He said Sox are further away than just a lefty reliever, hence dealing Aaron Bummer.
This seems like a fair evaluation by Getz, who has taken over a team that finished with the third-worst record in the American League last season. In the deal, the team acquired multiple rotation pieces in Mike Soroka and Jared Shuster, and helped their infield defense by getting Nicky Lopez.
The White Sox appear to still be far away from contention, but they've at least got some exciting pieces again.
Duber continued on with a report about what this deal means for another member of the Sox' bullpen, Garrett Grochet:
Chris Getz said Garrett Crochet will be on an innings progression come spring and that he wants Crochet to be a multi-inning pitcher. Sox will determine in spring whether that progression should continue to stretch Crochet out to be a starter or not.
Crochet, a hard-throwing 24-year-old, only appeared in 13 games last season after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He went 0-2 with a 3.55 ERA and is 3-7 lifetime with a 2.71.
Perhaps he could elevate to a closer's role if his health cooperates.
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