The White Sox may not have the greatest reputation in terms of spending big bucks in free agency, but they sure do a wonderful job of locking up their young talent to long-term deals.
The latest is left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer, who had a breakout 2019 season out of the White Sox bullpen. Bummer has agreed to a five-year extension with the White Sox worth $16 million.
Bummer, 26, made his MLB debut in 2017.
The team announced the extension Saturday morning.
Here’s the breakdown of the contract via the Chicago Sun-Times.
Bummer will receive $1 million in 2020, $2 million in 2021, $2.5 million in 2022, $3.75 million in 2023 and $5.5 million in 2024. The Sox hold options for $7.25 million in 2025 and $7.5 million in 2026, with $1.25 million buyouts for either season.
In 2019, Bummer ranked among the American League relief leaders in inherited runners scored percentage (second, 19.4), first-batter efficiency (fourth, .115), holds (sixth), ERA (seventh) and opponents average (ninth, .184).
The lefty appeared in 58 games in 2019, posting a 2.13 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 60 strikeouts in 67.2 innings.
The White Sox selected Bummer in the 19th round of the 2014 draft out of Nebraska. In three MLB seasons Bummer has recorded a 3.12 ERA in 121.1 innings all as a reliever.
On Saturday, the White Sox also announced that Leury Garcia agreed to a deal that includes a 2021 club option.
Garcia and the White Sox had already agreed to terms on his $3.25 million salary for the 2020 season back in January. So, he gets an extra $250k guaranteed for the year.
