Chris Getz took over as the General Manager of the Chicago White Sox with an uphill battle in front of him.
On the heels of a failed rebuild that produced only two playoff appearances, and zero series wins, Getz faced a restless fanbase and a clubhouse mess.
As Getz approached his first offseason, it was clear that some changes needed to be made, and the first of which came fairly quickly. The White Sox sent lefty reliever Aaron Bummer to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for five players: LHP Jared Shuster, INF Braden Shewmake, INF Nicky Lopez, RHP Michael Soroka, and RHP Riley Gowens.
Of those five players, four of them played on the White Sox in 2024, but none of them really made a significant positive impact on the team. With Shuster claimed on waivers by the Athletics after an abysmal start to the 2025 season, nearly all of the players involved in that trade are no longer with the White Sox.
Bummer was coming off an abysmal 2023 season with Chicago, but solid peripherals indicated that some bad luck could’ve been involved. This proved to be true, and Bummer has bounced back nicely in Atlanta, with a 3.58 ERA in 2024, and a 3.81 ERA thus far in 2025.
It seemed obvious that Atlanta got the better end of the deal here, but back-to-back promising seasons from Riley Gowens may be giving the White Sox a chance to win the deal.
Riley Gowens is turning into a great pitching prospect
Riley Gowens was drafted in the 9th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by Atlanta as a senior hailing from the University of Illinois.
The Libertyville native pitched just 15.2 innings in the Braves organization before being traded to the White Sox, and he was assigned to High-A Winston-Salem to begin his White Sox career. Gowens posted a 4.35 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 70.1 innings with Winston-Salem before a midseason promotion to Birmingham. He finished the season strong with the Barons, with a 3.12 ERA in 12 starts down the stretch.
Gowens has been at the Double-A level for the entirety of 2025 so far, with a solid 3.54 ERA in 24 starts. He has 132 strikeouts in 116 innings this year. Gowens has been particularly good lately, with a 1.55 ERA since July 12th. Opponents are hitting just .149 against him during that stretch.
Riley Gowens made the start for the #Barons in game 2 of their weekly series. He is once again fantastic allowing 1R (HR) in 6 innings on 4H and 1BB. He strikes out 7 on 59s/84p. He receives a ND in the comeback 6-2 BHam win. pic.twitter.com/frLtwmGtjH
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) August 28, 2025
At 25 years old, it’s a bit unclear to me why Gowens is still in Double-A. He’s shown he can handle the level easily and seems ready for Triple-A, or even a shot in Chicago.
The White Sox will have a very interesting decision to make regarding their 2026 rotation with several young arms returning. As far as I’m concerned, Gowens has done more than enough to put himself in this conversation.
Because of his age and relatively low draft position, you won’t see Gowens on any top prospect lists, but the results speak for themselves.
Aaron Bummer has been a solid bullpen arm for the Braves, but if Gowens can turn himself into a quality MLB starter, he may surpass the long-term value that a reliever like Bummer brings to Atlanta. It’s far from a guarantee, but the Aaron Bummer trade may not be hopeless for the White Sox after all.