A Closer Look at Chicago’s Newest Pitcher Mike Soroka

The Chicago White Sox and the Atlanta Braves pulled off a trade this past Thursday evening that deserves a closer look. Chicago sent relief pitcher Aaron Bummer to the Braves for starting pitchers Michael Soroka, Jared Schuster and Riley Gowens, shortstop Braden Shewmake and infielder Nicky Lopez. It would appear as if the White Sox got the better end of this deal thanks to the sheer number of players that they got in the trade.

The White Sox desperately needed some starting pitching help and they got some with this trade. Hopefully, they will find these players useful and these guys will end up being quality starters in the near term.

For the purposes of this article, we are going to focus on right-hander Mike Soroka. Soroka may have the most promise of the group but his arrival in Chicago doesn’t come without some questions. What’s his background? Is the going to be the starting pitcher that the White Sox need? Can he fill the void left by so many pitchers that went ahead of him (and still might go ahead of him)?

Michael Soroka has tons of potential, but comes with a lot of risk

Soroka has been in the major leagues for a total of four years all with the Braves. His career stats include his having pitched a total of 44 games with 246.1 innings pitched. Soroka has racked up 200 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.32. His WHIP is 1.21.

The story on Soroka is that he missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to injury. This has come up quite a bit in discussions about Soroka and no one is sure how he’s going to hold up. In 2023, he played in a total of seven games and had an ERA of 6.40 in 32.1 innings pitched. His record was two wins with two losses.

Chicago is going to hope that Soroka is able to hold up during the 2024 season and give them something to be happy about. It’s going to be Soroka’s last season under contract as he will be a free agent so he has to have a solid season or he might not find himself in a White Sox uniform when it’s all said and done.

These are strange times for the White Sox and their fans are feeling the effects. There have been players shuttled off to other teams, and players let go to find work elsewhere and it almost points to the fact that the White Sox are going to undergo a massive rebuild. That’s not what fans, who want this team to win now, want to hear but they might have to face a little bit of reality. The team is being dismantled and rebuilt so it’s going to be a while before they are considered to be playoff-worthy.

Soroka could be a piece to a puzzle that the White Sox are putting together as we speak. Or, he could be a detriment to the lineup. It all depends on whether or not he can stay healthy. Let’s hope he’s able to remain healthy and help the White Sox win some games in 2024. 

More White Sox News from Southside Showdown