The most difficult trade the White Sox made approaching the MLB trade deadline was sending Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins for pitching prospect Jake Eder.
And while it cost the team a fan favorite they would've had under club control until 2028, Eder is a promising prospect.
"I think the White Sox pulled a good one when they got Jake Eder, a left-handed pitcher who's a fourth-rounder," Jon Heyman said on MLB Network. "He got Tommy John a couple of years ago. He looks like a very good prospect. No. 4 on the Marlins' list."
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In six starts in Double-A this season, Eder holds a 3.94 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 16 walks. He's a 6-foot-4 pitcher with a four-pitch mix. He's arguably the most tantalizing prospect the White Sox received at the trade deadline.
This wasn't a trade the White Sox looked to make. Burger had one of the best bats on the team this season. His 25 home runs are second on the team behind only Luis Robert Jr. His .806 OPS is the third-best on the team, too.
He was also one of the more exciting personalities. Fans got attached to his patented "Burger Bombs" and his shenanigans in the clubhouse with the team's gangster jacket and hat only worn for home runs.
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Rick Hahn assured the media after the trade deadline an equal or desirable trade package was a prerequisite for Burger's availability. He's not the kind of player you actively seek to trade, especially in the middle of a career season.
"It’s a difficult move to make," Hahn said after the deadline's conclusion. "Hopefully that illustrates what we think of Jake Eder. We by no means entered this deadline period thinking, 'All right, we got to find a home for Jake Burger.' We needed to be compelled to do that. And Eder, we think, has a chance to be a very special arm and help many White Sox teams for a long time going forward."
Hopefully, the White Sox get what they hope to receive out of Eder.
Overall, Heyman declares the White Sox executed a solid trade deadline. They traded multiple pitchers for intriguing prospects to bolster their farm system.
"I think the White Sox did very well as a seller," Hahn said. "Obviously, the team underachieved this year but I think they did well. They were very decisive with the trades earlier and this trade late for Eder I think was very good."
