The Atlanta Braves are always on the lookout for ways to improve their roster, especially as they try to overcome the playoff demons that have come to haunt them for the past two years. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Braves reportedly swung a massive trade to upgrade their bullpen, sending five guys, including former rotation mainstay Michael Soroka and utilityman Nicky Lopez, along with Jared Shuster, Brandon Shewmake and minor-leaguer Riley Gowens, to the Chicago White Sox for left-hander Aaron Bummer.

Bummer didn't exactly have a strong 2023 season for the moribund White Sox. In 58.1 innings of work in 61 games, the 30-year old southpaw put up a dreadful 6.79 ERA, which, on the surface, makes this an inexplicable acquisition for the Braves. However, Bummer's underlying metrics show that there may be an elite late-game weapon in him that the Braves could bring out.

According to Fangraphs, Aaron Bummer had a 3.53 expected ERA, with a 3.58 FIP (fielding-independent pitching), which only takes into account the factors the pitcher can control, such as the strikeout rate, groundball rate, and contact suppression. There's certainly a buy-low element to Bummer, as he put up a strong strikeout rate of 29.2 percent, punching out 12.03 batters per nine innings.

Moreover, Bummer had an alarmingly low left-on-base rate compared to previous seasons, and his groundball rate also declined from years past. With a few tweaks to his pitching mechanics and a better defense around him, it's not too difficult to see the new Braves pitcher having a bounce-back season in his new digs, especially if he manages to curb his walk rate that ballooned last season with the White Sox.

If the Braves do end up faciliating a career revival for Aaron Bummer, he'll end up being an exceptional bargain for the team, as he remains under contract for $20.25 million over the next three years. Moreover, there is little to no risk for the Braves, as they'll have club options for his contract during the 2025 and 2026 seasons. So if he ends up falling short of expectations, the Braves can cut him quite easily.

Meanwhile, for the White Sox, they'll be getting four big leaguers, two of which are arbitration-eligible (Michael Soroka and Nicky Lopez). They might give Soroka a shot at cracking the rotation to see if he can channel his 2019 form.