White Sox trade former Missouri State star Jake Burger to Miami Marlins
The Chicago White Sox traded former Missouri State star Jake Burger to the Miami Marlins ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the two teams confirmed.
Burger was selected by the White Sox with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. He's been an everyday starter for the White Sox this season and will have the chance to compete for a spot in the playoffs in Miami.
This season, Burger is enjoying the best and healthiest season of his career. In his third season in the Majors, he's batting .215 with 25 home runs and 52 RBI. His White Sox career saw him appear in 154 games while batting .230 with 34 homers.
The White Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Jake Eder in return for Burger. Eder is Miami's No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Burger's fit with the White Sox was complicated throughout his three seasons with the team. The White Sox were back and forth with lineups that also featured Yoan Moncada, who is higher paid and considered a better defensive infielder. Burger has appeared in games as a third and second baseman while also batting as a designated hitter.
"I'm grateful for the White Sox and the organization for believing in me when it didn't seem like a lot of other people believed in me coming back from injuries," Burger told reporters after he was traded. "I've had a lot of good memories here. My son got to see me play in a White Sox jersey first. On the flip side of that, I'm going to Miami and I'm going to push for the playoffs and be in the wildcard hunt. I'm excited to play my heart out for Miami."
The White Sox have been sellers in recent days as they find themselves 11 games out of first place in the American League Central and 16 games out of the wild card entering Tuesday. A trade to Miami puts Burger 11.5 games behind Atlanta in the National League East standings but in a tie with Arizona and Milwaukee for the league's third wildcard slot.
Burger, eighth in the Majors in homers, brings immediate power to the Marlins' lineup as he'll be tied for the team lead with designated hitter Jorge Soler. No other Marlins hitter has more than 14 homers as Miami ranks 28th in home runs this season. Jean Segura has been the Marlins' starter at third who is batting .219 with three home runs this season.
White Sox General Manager told reporters that Burger wouldn't have been moved unless the team felt like it was getting a special player in return. Pedro Grifol, the White Sox manager, added that Burger's shown tremendous growth defensively since the beginning of the season while adding that the slugger is "just tapping into his potential" offensively.
"I love the South Side fans and I'll never lose that respect and love for them," Burger said. "It will sit heavy in my heart and my family's heart but it's the business of the game. Now I have to go compete and have some fun with another fanbase."
Burger's feel-good story finds a new setting after he started his professional career by rupturing his Achilles in spring training in 2018, only to re-rupture it a few months later. After several years of rehab, Burger was ready for the 2021 season and eventually made his MLB debut later in the year.
The former Bear is one of the best to put on the maroon and white. He batted .339 with 47 home runs in his three seasons leading Missouri State to go along with a pair of NCAA Tournament Super Regional appearances.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Jake Burger: Miami Marlins trade for White Sox slugger
