Braves newcomer marveling what it's like to play for a winner

Clearly, Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos thought the world of Aaron Bummer. Anthopoulos gave up the farm to get the left-handed relief pitcher formerly of the Chicago White Sox. While the bullpen has been an area of strength throughout much of the Anthopoulos/Brian Snitker era of Braves baseball, it needed a bit of refinement after how the last few postseasons have gone.

Bummer may have had big aspirations in pitching for the South Siders, but he got caught in the midst of perpetual turmoil often associated with the American League ballclub Jerry Reinsdorf owns. The White Sox's competitive life cycle came and went. Bummer's time in Chicago was mostly, a bummer. Fortunately, he seems to be in great spirits in joining such a dominant baseball team over in Atlanta.

Here is what he told David O'Brien of The Athletic about joining the Braves after a blockbuster trade.

“It’s awesome. Unfortunately we weren’t able to accomplish that goal (with the White Sox). There’s a decent core over in Chicago and we were all building towards one common goal. We weren’t able to do that. But to come over here, in an organization and clubhouse where there is only one common goal — the one common goal is to win a World Series — it’s pretty awesome. It’s exciting.”

Bummer was traded to the Braves back in November for Michael Soroka, Jared Shuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake and Riley Gowens. Once again, Anthopoulos clearly thought the world of Bummer.

Aaron Bummer is relishing the opportunity to pitch for a winner in Atlanta

One of the areas of strength in the Atlanta bullpen has long been its left-handed pitching. At times, southpaw A.J. Minter has been an All-Star-caliber reliever as a glorified set-up man. While he has been tasked with closing games out on occasion, or even going as an opener before, his role in the Atlanta bullpen has been solidified. Let's just hope Anthopoulos does not let him walk after this year.

After missing all of last year due to injury, Tyler Matzek looks to rejoin the bullpen in another crucial role. He is arguably the reason why the Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2021 NLCS en route to their first World Series Championship in 26 years. When he is on, the guy can be unhittable. He and Minter often play off each other, as the last two remaining holdovers of the 2021 Night Shift.

So where does Bummer factor into all of this? He gives Atlanta even more bullpen depth that the Braves will need to go against the big bats of the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies come playoff time. Atlanta has the bats to go up against anyone, but any additional support by the pitching staff will go a long way in October. For a guy who has never tasted winning like this before, Bummer will enjoy this.

Look for Bummer to leave his mark on what should be another stellar bullpen for the Braves this year.