The White Sox have been quietly busy this offseason, as they have made a plethora of moves. Most of the moves haven’t been significant outside of the Garrett Crochet trade, however Chris Getz made a very interesting move yesterday for a variety of reasons.
Yesterday, the White Sox announced they acquired Cam Booser from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Yhoiker Fajardo.
The Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed pitcher Cam Booser from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-league right-hander Yhoiker Fajardo.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the White Sox designated outfielder Corey Julks for assignment.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) December 22, 2024
This is a very solid acquisition for the White Sox, as Booser had a solid rookie season for the Red Sox. In 42.2 innings, Booser had a 3.38 ERA while striking out 43. He walked 16 batters and had a 1.33 WHIP to go along with a .250 batting average against. Booser did a good job of keeping runners from scoring, but he did give up a decent amount of hits.
Booser’s advanced metrics are much better, as Baseball Savant grades him as well above average in many of the important categories, such as expected batting average, expected ERA, as well as chase and whiff percentage. Plus, he is a lefty, which the White Sox have a need for in their bullpen.
However, his on the field performance isn’t the most interesting thing about him, it’s the story of how Booser got to the big leagues.
Cam Booser quit baseball 7 years ago after never advancing past Single-A.
He went home to Seattle to work with his dad as a carpenter, building ceilings.
Made a comeback with an Indy Ball team in 2021.
Today, he picked up the final out in his MLB debut.pic.twitter.com/9OCtVWDi0A
— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) April 20, 2024
According to Danny Vietti, Booser had an unusual path to the major leagues. He started his minor league career in 2015 in Low A, eventually making it to High A. However, he would bounce back and forth between both levels for the next two seasons, leading him to take a break from the game. He then went to work as a carpenter in Seattle for four years, while not playing any affiliated or independent baseball.
However, Booser made a comeback, as he played for the Chicago Dogs in 2021. He then would play a few games in AA for the Diamondbacks in 2022 before bouncing back to another independent league. In 2023, he signed with the Red Sox and pitched in their minor league system.
In 2024, a few weeks before turning 32, Booser made his MLB debut and had a very solid year for the Red Sox. This is an incredible story and one that makes you want to root for Booser. Now with the White Sox, Booser will get every chance to succeed, as there are a lot of innings up for grabs in the bullpen.
This is a very interesting trade for many reasons, but considering the bullpen was the worst in the majors last year, Booser could prove to provide some very valuable innings.
