Former Braves fan favorite uses experience in Atlanta to hype up new team

The Atlanta Braves have been the standard for success and team-building in MLB. The Braves have struck gold with their top prospects, who have made it to the majors and are signed long-term. They also make savvy moves to help maintain their momentum as World Series contenders.

This offseason, the Braves didn't make a big splash in terms of bringing in a top free agent. But they did acquire Chris Sale and reliever Aaron Bummer. In acquiring Bummer, the Braves sent Michael Soroka, Jared Schuster, Nicky Lopez, Braden Shewmake, and Riley Gowens to the Chicago White Sox, who lost 101 games this past season.

With spring training underway, Soroka spoke to reporters about his trade to the White Sox. When discussing his time with the Braves, Soroka said that all he's ever known was winning the NL East every season since his call-up in 2018 and that they've always had a chip on their shoulders.

While discussing that, Soroka then hyped up the White Sox. Soroka says, "there's a group of people over here that know this division is wide open ,and we can go take that." Soroka's comments come courtesy of CHGO Sports' Vinnie Duber.

Michael Soroka hypes up White Sox when recalling time with the Braves

Soroka isn't lying when he says the AL Central is wide open. The Minnesota Twins did win the division title by a pretty sizable amount of games, but there is uncertainty heading into this season. After all, they lost Sonny Gray to the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency, and Kenta Maeda is likely going to another team. So, their starting rotation did take a hit.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers are on the come-up, as they finished second in the division. The Cleveland Guardians will enter their first season in quite some time without Terry Francona, who retired and has been replaced by first-time manager Stephen Vogt. Then there's the Kansas City Royals, who made some splashes this offseason by acquiring Kyle Wright from the Braves and signing Will Smith and Hunter Renfroe.

The White Sox have made moves under new general manager Chris Getz. They traded away Bummer to bring in five members of the Braves to fill voids on the team. They also added the likes of starter Nick Fedde, reliever John Brebbia, and catcher Martin Maldonado. Dylan Cease, who will be a top trade chip for any team needing a starter, is expected to remain with the team to start the season.

Soroka called the White Sox a "gritty team," saying that "there's a lot of guys that think they have a lot more to give to this game." The starter says he's "excited" to play for the White Sox this upcoming season. Soroka's comments come courtesy of NBC Sports Chicago's Chuck Garfien.

Once considered to be a fixture of Atlanta's starting rotation, Soroka had been bitten badly by the injury bug. In 2020, Soroka tore his Achilles tendon. The following year, in which he was slated to return, Soroka tore that same Achilles tendon, sidelining him further. Soroka would not return to a major league field until this past season.

In seven games (six starts), Soroka recorded a 6.40 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP, a 2-2 win-loss record, 29 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 32.1 innings.

Soroka is looking forward to playing for the White Sox this season and potentially shocking the world by bringing them back to the postseason for the first time since 2021.