Marlins Add Jake Burger From White Sox For Lefthander Jake Eder
Image credit: Jake Burger(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Just more than an hour before the trade deadline ended, the Marlins and White Sox made a deal to swap a pair of players who had dealt with serious injuries in the early stages of their careers.
The trade sent utility infielder Jake Burger to Miami in exchange for lefthander Jake Eder, who returned this summer after missing all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
MARLINS RECEIVE
Jake Burger, 3B
Age: 27
Burger was the White Sox’s first-round draft pick in 2017, but his career was waylaid by a pair of torn Achilles tendons that kept him on the shelf for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and then he missed a third season in 2020, which was lost to the pandemic. When he was drafted, the White Sox were effusive in their praise of Burger’s makeup and overall positive attitude, which likely helped him during the course of his rehab processes. He debuted in 2021 and has settled into a regular’s role in 2023. He has bounced around the infield and has 25 home runs this season. He’s particularly effective when deployed against lefthanders, against who he has eight home runs in 79 at-bats this season.
WHITE SOX RECEIVE
Jake Eder, LHP
Age: 24
Eder was Miami’s fourth-round pick in the shortened 2020 draft. The Vanderbilt alum jumped immediately to Double-A Pensacola in his pro debut and was a revelation. The lefthander baffled Southern League hitters and produced a 1.77 ERA in 15 starts before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament and having Tommy John surgery. He also dealt with a hairline fracture in his foot during spring training. Eder re-emerged on June 4 for the first of three starts with Low-A Jupiter before returning to Pensacola for his last six starts. His most recent effort, a 10-strikeout gem, landed him a spot on this week’s Hot Sheet. He works with a three-pitch mix of a fastball, slider and changeup. This year, the fastball has sat in the low 90s, which is a couple of ticks down from its pre-surgery velocity. Before the injury, Eder’s slider projected as a plus pitch and his changeup could have been potentially average. He ties the arsenal together with an intense mound demeanor.
