White Sox starting pitching depth already eroding

When I listed my 10 preseason candidates for the White Sox starting rotation, I ranked Ky Bush as No. 7.

Cross him off. 

Sox general manager Chris Getz announced on Tuesday that Bush will miss the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Bush, a 25-year-old lefty, made his big league debut last season. He went 0-3 with a 5.60 ERA in four starts. Bush's ceiling is likely a No. 4 starter, so you may not see this is a big loss.

It's really not, but it is one less pitcher the Sox can use to make starts in a season where they are looking for people to eat innings. Realistically, I thought Bush would start somewhere between five and 10 games this season. Now, someone else needs to take those starts.

Innings are a concern for the Sox because four of their top-five guys in innings pitched from 2024 are no longer with the team. Here are their innings leaders from last year:

1. Chris Flexen, 160 innings
2. Garrett Crochet, 146 innings
3. Jonathan Cannon, 124.1 innings
4. Erick Fedde, 121.2 innings
5. Michael Soroka, 79.2 innings 

Only Cannon remains with the team. Fedde was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals midseason last year. Crochet was traded to the Boston Red Sox this offseason. Soroka left via free agency and is now a member of the Washington Nationals. Flexen remains a free agent.

That's 507 innings walking out the door. Martin Perez and Bryse Wilson were the only two veteran pitchers brought in this offseason. They will not combine for 300 innings, let alone 500.

Maybe it's time to get Flexen on the phone?

White Sox trade Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech, Tommy Pham in 3-team deal

Over the weekend, there was a lot of angst among White Sox fans because GM Chris Getz had not yet pulled the trigger on a trade deadline deal.

Be careful what you wish for. Getz made a three-team, eight-player trade Monday afternoon, and it was one that DID NOT energize the fan base in any way.

Here's what went down:

• The White Sox receive three prospects from the Los Angeles Dodgers: all-purpose player Miguel Vargas, infielder Alexander Albertus and infielder Jeral Perez.
• The St. Louis Cardinals receive pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the Sox. 
• The Dodgers receive relief pitcher Michael Kopech from the Sox, and utility player Tommy Edman and pitcher Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals.

Anyone else think the Cardinals made out very well here? Fedde, despite pitching for a team that was 54 games below .500 entering Monday's play, has a 7-4 record with a 3.11 ERA. Frankly, he deserved to make the American League All-Star team this season, but he had to get in line behind Garrett Crochet, and was left off the roster because it's hard to justify a team as bad as the Sox getting two All-Star representatives.

Pham played 70 games with the Sox this season and batted .266/.330/.380 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 19 RBIs. In his age-36 season, he's basically a league-average hitter and can probably still make contributions to a contending team when used in the right role.

For those two players, St. Louis gave up Edman, who has been hurt all season, and Gonzalez, a 17-year-old who is pitching in the Dominican Summer League.

Despite Kopech's pedestrian numbers -- 2-8 with a 4.74 ERA -- the Dodgers are looking at his strikeout rate, which has been above 30% all season, and thinking they can turn him into a viable bullpen piece. Good luck. Maybe Kopech thrives with a change of scenery.

What are the Sox getting here? Salary relief, of course. That's Jerry Reinsdorf's favorite type of deal. Fedde, Pham and Kopech are all off the books, while Albertus and Perez are both 19-year-olds who will report to Class-A Kannapolis.

Perez has an .800 OPS this season at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. He's hitting .264/.380/.420 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. OK, that's not bad.

Albertus, also at Rancho Cucamonga, has batted .229/.317/.329 with a homer and 16 RBIs in a limited sample of 82 plate appearances.

But, even in the best of circumstances, these players are years away from having a chance to contribute in the major leagues. And after the past five or so seasons as a Sox fan, you won't catch me "dreaming on" prospects, ever.

Vargas, meanwhile, will be in the big leagues immediately, although I will keep my expectations modest. The 24-year-old has appeared in 30 games with the Dodgers this season, batting .239/.313/.423 with three homers and nine RBIs.

Looking a little deeper, it looks like Vargas might be a platoon partner for somebody. As a right-handed hitter, he hits lefties -- an .864 OPS. His OPS against right-handers is .599. Look for him to get playing time at either corner outfield spot and first base.

So, in summary, the Sox traded a pretty good mid-rotation starter in Fedde for a platoon bat and two lottery tickets. And some salary relief! Forgive me for not being excited.

White Sox surprise with 3-game sweep of Rays

Is the Tommy Pham effect real?

The White Sox added the 36-year-old mercurial outfielder to their 26-man roster on Friday, and within 72 hours, they doubled their season win total.

The Sox are now 6-22 after a three-game weekend sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pham was solid, but not spectacular, going 5 for 14 with five singles and three runs scored in the three victories.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

April 26

White Sox 9, Rays 4: The long-awaited offensive breakout came in the back half of this game as the Sox pounded out 12 hits. They scored seven of their nine runs from the sixth inning on to give their beleaguered pitching staff some much-needed breathing room.

Martin Maldonado, of all people, hit a 3-run homer in the seventh inning as part of a 2-for-4 performance. Eloy Jimenez added his third home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the seventh. Nicky Lopez, Pham, Danny Mendick and Paul DeJong also had two-hit games.

Chris Flexen (1-3) tossed five-plus shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season. Five Sox relievers were needed to cover the last four innings. They gave up four runs during that stretch, so it was a blessing that the offense poured it on.

April 27

White Sox 8, Rays 7 (10 innings): Left fielder Andrew Benintendi entered Saturday's action batting .169 with no home runs and four RBIs. By the time the evening was over, he had raised his average 22 points, and he had two home runs.

Benintendi's 2-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning was part of a six-RBI night for the struggling veteran. After the Sox fell behind 3-0 early. Benintendi's 3-run homer in the fourth tied it up. He added a wind-blown RBI single in fifth before his game-winning blast off Tampa reliever Phil Maton in extra innings.

The Sox once again burned through six pitchers, but hey, a 10-hit attack and a big night from one of the team's highest-paid veterans covered up some other problems.

April 28

White Sox 4, Rays 2: Erick Fedde for Sox All-Star-representative? The right-hander turned in the best outing of any Sox starting pitcher this season, going 8.1 innings.

He allowed two earned runs on seven hits, striking out nine and walking none. Fedde improved to 2-0 in six starts this season. He's the first Sox pitcher with more than one win, and the fact that he doesn't have a loss while pitching on this team is notable. 

Over his past two starts, Fedde has fanned 20 batters and walked nobody. His season ERA is 2.60.

The Sox got two runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Robbie Grossman and Mendick. Benintendi added a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to put the Sox ahead, 4-1. He now has a team-best 12 RBIs. What a difference two days makes, huh?

The insurance was needed as Fedde tired in the ninth. After retiring the first batter, he gave up a single and an RBI double. With the score 4-2, Jordan Leasure relieved and got the final two outs for his first career save.

The Sox collected their first three-game series sweep since June 2-4, 2023, against the Detroit Tigers. Next up, a three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins, who swept the Sox in four games in Minneapolis last week.

Jonathan Cannon's debut also a success; Sox split doubleheader

The White Sox did not win Jonathan Cannon's first major-league start, but the rookie right-hander can say he did his job.

Cannon worked five innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, allowing only one earned run on three hits. He struck out three and walked one, and he left the game with a 2-1 lead.

Alas, the Sox bullpen happened, and the Royals rallied for a 4-2 victory.

The run Cannon allowed was not his fault. He retired the first two batters in the top of the second inning, including his first career strikeout, which came against Salvador Perez.

Alas, center fielder Dominic Fletcher slipped and fell on what should have been a routine flyout off the bat of Nelson Velasquez, who made second base on the "double" and scored on a single by Adam Frazier.

Fortunately, the Kansas City lead didn't last. Paul DeJong's third home run of the season, a two-run shot, gave the Sox a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second.

The score stayed there until the eighth inning, when Perez connected for a two-run homer on a middle-middle fastball from Michael Kopech (0-2) to put the Royals ahead to stay at 3-2.

Hunter Renfroe added a solo home run for Kansas City in the ninth, and the Sox were toast.

The loss not only wasted Cannon's start, but it also ruined DeJong's best game in a Sox uniform. The shortstop went 3 for 3 with the aforementioned homer, a single, a double and a walk.

Game 2 goes to Sox

We have a surprise for you! The Sox won Game 2!

This time, two runs was enough. The Sox got a strong starting pitching performance from Erick Fedde in a 2-1 victory.

Fedde (1-0) allowed no runs on three hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five and walked three.

The Sox got a run in the fourth after Andrew Vaughn doubled and scored on a single by Fletcher. Gavin Sheets hit his third home run of the season in the sixth inning for a 2-0 lead, and this time, the bullpen made it stick.

Tanner Banks allowed an unearned run in the seventh, but Deivi Garcia got six outs for his first save of the season.

The Sox are 3-15. There are 144 more games of this crap remaining.

Mike Clevinger coming back to White Sox on 1-year deal

The White Sox and right-handed pitcher Mike Clevinger agreed to terms on a one-year contract Monday, sources told MLB.com.

The team has yet to confirm the signing of Clevinger, 33, who went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA over 24 starts with the Sox in 2023.

There are significant question marks in the starting rotation for the Sox, who fell to 0-4 with a 9-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday afternoon.

Chris Flexen started this latest loss, allowing four earned runs on six hits over only 4.1 innings pitched. Flexen walked three, struck out one and threw just 45 of his 85 pitches for strikes.

Among the first four starting pitchers used by the Sox this season -- Garrett Crochet, Michael Soroka, Erick Fedde and Flexen -- only the converted reliever Crochet recorded an out in the sixth inning.

Enter Clevinger, because there are 158 games to go and about 1,400 more innings to pitch this season. I'm guessing Sox GM Chris Getz does not have a high level of confidence that he can get through the year with the arms that are available.

So, he's adding a veteran on a short-term contract. Not that we expect Clevinger to cause the team's win total to increase in a significant way.

The Sox have perhaps the worst MLB roster I've ever seen. It's loaded with mediocre and bad veterans who are just trying to hang on to their professional careers. Most have no future with the Sox, or with any other team.

Clevinger is another such mediocre veteran.

What does the White Sox starting pitching staff look like entering 2024?

Dylan Cease

Please hold your nose as we delve into the state of the White Sox starting pitching staff as the calendar turns to a new year.

The most recent Sox pitching addition? That would be 29-year-old right-hander Chris Flexen, who recently agreed to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million, with an extra $1 million available if he hits certain performance bonuses.

Once upon a time, two years ago, Flexen was a productive pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. He went 14-6 with a 3.61 ERA over 31 starts in 179.2 innings in 2021. He backed that up by going 8-9 with a 3.73 ERA over 33 games (22 starts) in 137.2 innings in 2022.

We'd take either of those two years from him right now, wouldn't we, Sox fans?

Well, don't count on it because Flexen had a disastrous 2023. He pitched in 17 games with the Mariners and got DFA'd in late June after going 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA. He bounced from the New York Mets to the Colorado Rockies, and while in Denver, he started 12 games and went 2-4 with 6.37 ERA.

The only blessing? Flexen once again was durable enough to clear 100 innings -- he pitched 102.1 innings between the Mariners and the Rockies -- and that's not nothing.

However, he allowed more earned runs (78) than he had strikeouts (74), and opponents slugged .740 against his four-seam fastball. Flexen surrendered 25 home runs in 2023.

There's a reason he's available for cheap on a one-year deal, friends. Maybe Sox pitching guru Brian Bannister and pitching coach Ethan Katz have a recipe for Flexen to regain his 2021-22 form, but this signing is nothing but a huge question mark.

So, here's how the five-man rotation sets up, as we sit here on the evening of Jan. 2:

1. Dylan Cease
2. Erick Fedde
   
3. Michael Soroka
4. Flexen
5. Touki Toussaint or Michael Kopech
   

There's still a real possibility Cease gets traded, perhaps sooner rather than later, but he's here for now. After finishing second in the Cy Young voting in 2022, Cease's ERA spiked from 2.20 to 4.58 in 2023. The underlying metrics suggest Cease isn't as good as he was in 2022, but he isn't as bad as he was in 2023, either. 

If you look at Cease's 2021 numbers -- 13-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 165.2 innings, with a 1.249 WHIP and a 12.3 K/9 -- that seems like a reasonable expectation. Maybe with a slightly lower K rate, but you get the point.

Fedde might be the "big free agent acquisition" for the offseason. As we noted earlier on this blog, he had a big season in the Korean League last year.

Soroka, of course, came over from the Atlanta Braves in the Aaron Bummer deal. He was great in 2019, but injuries have limited him every year since. Will he be healthy? And if he is, what are the Sox getting? Who knows?

Kopech is both wild and an injury risk, and he's probably down to his last chance to stick in the starting rotation after a disastrous 2023 that saw him go 5-12 with a 5.43 ERA. Toussaint and Flexen are reclamation projects at this stage of their careers. The Sox were lucky to coax 83.1 innings out of Toussaint last season.

As in any baseball season, a team needs more than five or six starters to get through 162 games. Here are some other guys the Sox might use in 2024:

• Jared Shuster
• Jesse Scholtens
• Nick Nastrini
• Jake Eder
• Cristian Mena
• Davis Martin

Shuster is a change-of-scenery lefty who came over from the Braves with Soroka in the Bummer deal. Scholtens got 85 innings with the Sox last year, and there were diminishing returns as the season moved along. Nastrini is a prospect acquired from the Dodgers midseason last year. Eder is a lefty prospect who came from the Marlins in the Jake Burger trade. 

Mena is a 21-year-old righty who pitched as high as Triple-A Charlotte in 2023. Some have forgotten about Martin, who made nine starts in 2022. He missed 2023 with elbow surgery, but could contribute to the Sox late in 2024.

Add all this up, and two things are true: 1) The Sox have options, but many of them are suspect, and 2) This type of rotation projection gets you picked to finish last, even in the sad-sack American League Central.

Source: White Sox to sign KBO pitching star Erick Fedde

The White Sox on Tuesday agreed with right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde on a two-year, $15 million contract, according to a source.

Fedde, 30, pitched parts of six seasons with the Washington Nationals from 2017-22. He appeared in 102 games, including 88 starts, and went 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA. He had a rough season in 2022, going 6-13 with a 5.81 ERA. 

Those struggles were so bad, in fact, that Fedde found himself pitching in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2023.

That turned out to be a good career move. Fedde tossed 180.1 innings for the NC Dinos of the KBO, going 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA. He struck out 209 batters and walked just 35. Fedde won the Choi Dong-won Award for his efforts, the KBO equivalent of the Cy Young. 

Knowing that Fedde stunk the last time he pitched in the U.S., why should Sox fans be optimistic about this move? Well, senior pitching advisor Brian Bannister was on the platform formally known as Twitter to explain the move to fans. 

Bannister noted that Fedde works out in the offseason with San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb, and the two made the exact same changes to their pitching arsenal in recent times. 

Fedde has changed his slider to more of a sweeper, and he adjusted his changeup grip, as well, making the pitch have an action more like a split-finger fastball. Bannister stated that Fedde had neither of those two weapons in his arsenal with Washington. 

These adjustments worked in the KBO. Now we wait to see whether Fedde's newfound pitches will work against the best hitters in the world.

One thing I will say in Fedde's favor: I like the fact that he threw 180-plus innings in 2023. If there's one thing the Sox need, it's more innings from starting pitchers. Fedde should be well positioned to provide that. Let's just hope those innings are quality.