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| Jake Burger |
The Sox traded the popular, slugging third baseman to the Marlins for pitching prospect Jake Eder minutes before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
It doesn't look so good for the Sox so far, and fans are ready to riot.
Since joining the Marlins, Burger is batting .311/.380/.467 in 12 games (entering Tuesday's play). After the Marlins won his first game in Miami in walk-off fashion, Burger declared that it was "the most fun" he'd had on a baseball field "in a long time."
That statement implies he wasn't having much fun as a member of the Sox, and can you blame him? I don't enjoy watching the team, so I'm not surprised if he didn't enjoy playing for it.
Burger was seen delivering a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday, capping a five-run Miami rally in a shocking 8-7 victory over the New York Yankees.
The good times are rollin' for Burger.
And Eder?
He's made two starts at Double-A Birmingham, and his ERA is 16.20. He's given up nine earned runs on eight hits across five innings.
Yeah, that's bad.
I'm not going to panic about this trade just yet, but I understand the frustration. Eder is still only 24. He was one of the best prospects in baseball two years ago before he had Tommy John surgery, and some of the prospect guys -- notably MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis -- have expressed optimism about this left-handed starter.
As for Burger, I'm not entirely sure what his future holds yet. We know he has power. He's got 26 homers this season -- 25 with the White Sox. As a matter of fact, he's probably going to finish second on the Sox in homers for 2023, even though he'll be playing the remainder of the season with Miami.
It's worth noting that Burger is a subpar defender, and he was hitting only .214 with a .279 OBP at the time of the trade. The Sox will miss his home runs, for sure, but they won't miss his low on-base percentage.
Ultimately, over the long haul, I'm in wait-and-see mode with this trade. In the short run, here's what pisses me off about the Burger move: It means Yoan Moncada is still "on scholarship" at third base for the White Sox.
Entering Tuesday's play, Moncada was batting .229/.278/.353 with only four homers and 11 doubles in 55 games. He's been hurt and bad (again) this season.
Burger's presence on the roster gave the Sox a very viable alternative to put at third base during those periods when Moncada is hurt, bad or both -- that's the case the majority of the time, as Sox fans know.
Now, Burger is gone, and there's nobody who can play third base except for Moncada. It's Moncada's job through 2024, for better or for worse, and that annoys me because I'm ready to see the Sox move in a different direction at that position.
Thanks Sox. Burger has been excellent on offence AND defense and is a really great team member and a clutch not just power hitter. He seems happy to be here in Miami. Where would rather be Shicago or Miami?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see the Marlins make the playoffs. Aside from the pandemic year, they haven't had many opportunities, and I enjoy it when a team that hasn't had a chance in a while gets in. Good luck.
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