The White Sox and Red Sox continue to be trade partners this offseason.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the White Sox have acquired left-handed reliever Cam Booser from Boston in exchange for RHP Yhoiker Fajardo. Corey Julks was designated for assignment to make room for Booser on the 40-man roster.
Booser, 32, has an interesting story in baseball that sounds like something out of the movie The Rookie. A former draft pick of the Minnesota Twins, Booser would spend four seasons in professional baseball, rising as high as High-A with the Twins in 2017. That same year, he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for cannabis. He made just three appearances after his suspension before deciding to retire in November 2017. He returned to Seattle to work as a carpenter, but began to miss baseball, and would start giving pitching lessons in 2020. It was at this time he found that he could throw a fastball 96 miles an hour.
Booser would sign a deal with the Chicago Dogs on July 4, 2021, and in 2022, the Diamondbacks took a chance on Booser, signing him to a minor-league deal. He was released the same year, returning to Independent Baseball before signing with the Red Sox before the 2023 season. To end the incredible story, he made his major league debut in 2024, pitching in the ninth inning of the Red Sox’ 8-1 win against the Pirates on April 19.
The Red Sox named him the winner of the Tony Conigliaro Award for the season, which recognizes a “Major Leaguer who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination, and courage.”
During his 2024 season, Booser was impressive, going 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA/3.80 FIP over 42.2 innings. He struck out 23.5% of batters, walked 8.7% of them, and was able to prevent hard contact pretty well thanks to a 28.9% whiff rate on his pitches. He features a 4-Seamer, Cutter, and Sweeper as his arsenal, With the Cutter and Sweeper serving as his main swing-and-miss pitches. His fastball tends to be the pitch opponents hit the hardest, and given that he threw it 40% of the time in 2024, it’s likely that the White Sox will look to limit its usage on the South Side.
With Fraser Ellard, Jared Shuster, and Ky Bush currently left-handed relievers under contract with the White Sox, it’s unclear just where Booser fits in. However, Ky Bush is likely to start the season in Triple-A, and Jared Shuster was largely ineffective last season for the White Sox. It would make sense for the bullpen to feature both Booser and Ellard, given that both are largely inexperienced big leaguers.
Fajardo, 18, was one of the top signees for the White Sox in their 2024 International Draft class ($400K). He put together strong numbers in the Dominican Summer League, posting a 3.91 ERA and striking out 64 hitters in 50 innings. He has upside, but he is far from a sure thing – especially when you’re basing his success on his DSL numbers.
At the very least, Booser’s story will be a very interesting one to follow this season. It seems he will be an easy guy to root for on the South Side who was well-liked in Boston. Given that he’s 32, he’s unlikely to be a long-term asset for the White Sox; however, due to his five years of service time, another team could trade for him at this year’s deadline if he performs well.
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