The White Sox on Saturday signed left-handed relief pitcher Aaron Bummer to a five-year, $16 million contract.
It's the largest contract ever given to a non-closer who has yet to qualify for salary arbitration in Major League Baseball history.
Bummer, 26, is coming off a breakout season in 2019, during which he was the best pitcher in the Sox's bullpen. He made 58 appearances without a decision, posting a 2.13 ERA, 27 holds, one save, 60 strikeouts and a 0.99 WHIP over 67.2 innings pitched.
The Sox apparently believe Bummer's sinker-heavy approach will play well over the long haul at Guaranteed Rate Field. His 71.4% ground-ball rate ranked second in baseball last season, and opponents hit only .184/.268/.252 against him even though they pretty much knew what pitch was coming. (Bummer throws his sinker about 75% of the time.)
Here's one reason to like this move: Bummer isn't the sort of left-handed reliever who falls apart the minute a right-handed batter steps into the box. In fact, he was effective against both lefties and righties last season:
vs. LHB: .178/.213/.233
vs. RHB: .188/.299/.264
The new three-batter minimum rule shouldn't be a deterrent to bringing Bummer into a game, and given that he had more innings pitched than appearances last season, we know he's capable of getting anywhere from three to six outs when called upon.
It's a little unorthodox to lock up a reliever who is not a closer long term, but given Bummer's results last season, this does make some sense.
Bummer will earn $1 million in 2020, $2 million in 2021, $2.5
million in 2022, $3.75 million in 2023 and $5.5 million in 2024. The White
Sox hold options for $7.25 million in 2025 and $7.5 million in 2026, with
$1.25 million buyouts for either season.
The Sox also announced that utility player Leury Garcia agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million contract that also includes a club option for 2021. Garcia, 28, previously avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.25 million contract. He gets a slight bump in pay here, along with the addition of the $3.5 million option, which includes a $250,000 buyout.
The move allows the Sox to control the terms of Garcia's salary for next season, should they want him back, and they don't have to worry about the arbitration process.
Garcia could start the season as the starting second baseman, but he figures to slide into a bench role once Nick Madrigal is called up to the majors.
García hit .279 with 27 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 40 RBIs and 93 runs scored over 140 games last season. He also led the league with 14 outfield assists.
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