The Chicago White Sox traded Jake Burger away at the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline. That was a sad day for a lot of fans as he was a fan-favorite player.
The White Sox sent him away to the Miami Marlins where he is now a big part of a race to the playoffs. They may or may not make it (1.5 games out of the Wild Card) but it is much better than where the White Sox are at.
Since going to Miami, Burger became a fan favorite there as well. How could he not? It helps that the Marlins have done a fantastic job marketing him which is not something that the White Sox can say.
To be honest, as much as it hurts to see Jake Burger play somewhere else, it has been a blast watching him play for the Marlins. They are a much better team that gives him a much better chance to be a good Major League player.
Jake Burger has been even better since going to the Miami Marlins.
Since going to Miami, Burger is .373/.440/.552 for an OPS of .992. He also has two home runs and 11 RBIs. His strikeout percentage is also way down since switching teams.
All of the negatives that people had to say about Burger’s bat while in Chicago were proven to be wrong. He is far from a one-dimensional hitter. Getting away from the bad philosophies of the White Sox have helped him tremendously. It has to feel good to be proving tons of people wrong.
Oh, remember the comments about him being a bad defender? Yeah, he’s been great at third base for the Marlins as well. Winning culture is contagious.
Burger now has a 2.5 WAR on the season and will surely break the 30-home-run plateau. He is an outstanding player and White Sox fans are encouraged to watch him as a member of the Miami Marlins.
Jake Eder is the prospect that the White Sox have gotten in return for Burger. He is a highly touted player and is now considered to be the number five prospect in their system.
However, in typical White Sox fashion, Eder has struggled since coming to this organization. It can’t be easy to make a big switch like that late in the season but it happens. Eder is going to have to be much better for this trade to work out for the White Sox.
As of right now, it is easy to be missing Jake Burger but he is in a much better place. It is truly a shame that we feel this way but the truth is the truth.