2 out of 3 all White Sox needed vs. Twins

The White Sox missed an opportunity to sweep the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. But given the circumstances, winning two games out of three is good enough.

The Sox arrived in Minnesota with a 2.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central Division, and a 6.5-game lead over the Twins.

They exit Minneapolis leading the Guardians by 3.5 games, and the Twins by 7.5 games. And, there are three more games off the schedule.

The Sox stand at 72-64 with 26 games remaining. Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, Aug. 28

White Sox 7, Twins 4: Minnesota starter Dean Kremer entered Friday's game with a 4-0 record and a 1.53 lifetime ERA in five starts against the Sox. In those games, he had allowed only five runs combined. But in this game, the Sox knocked him around for six runs in the first four innings.

Colson Montgomery's 3-run homer highlighted a four-run first inning, and Andrew Benintendi went 2 for 4 with an RBI single and an RBI double.

Sox starter Luis Castillo struggled once again, allowing four earned runs over four innings. The veteran right-hander has a lousy 6.45 ERA over his first five starts with the South Siders.

Fortunately for Castillo, the Sox bullpen fired five shutout innings. Grant Taylor (7-2) worked a career-high 2.2 innings with three strikeouts to get the win. Bryan Hudson pitched around two singles in the bottom of the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.

Saturday, Aug. 29

White Sox 3, Twins 2: Benintendi didn't win this game singlehandedly, but he provided all the offense the Sox would need. The South Siders totaled only three hits in this game, but Benintendi had all three of them.

In the first inning, he singled home Sam Antonacci, who led off the game with a walk. In the fourth inning, he doubled and later scored on an error by Minnesota shortstop Kaelen Culpepper. And with the score tied 2-2 in the sixth, Benintendi connected for his 14th homer of the season to provide the margin of victory.

That made a winner of Erick Fedde (7-8), who tossed five innings of two-run ball. He struck out four and walked two. The bullpen once again was strong, with Sean Ncwcomb tossing three scoreless innings, nursing that 3-2 lead from the sixth inning through the eighth. Hudson worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save of the season.

Sunday, Aug. 30

Twins 5, White Sox 1: Zebby Matthews (9-8) had perhaps the best start of his career for the Twins. He retired the first 17 batters he faced before Drew Romo broke up his perfect game with a two-out single in the top of the sixth.

Matthews went on to throw 8.1 innings, allowing only one run on five hits. He struck out five and walked nobody. This was pretty darn close to being a shutout. The Sox didn't score until there were two outs in the ninth, when Braden Montgomery singled off Twins reliever Jeff Hoffman to allow one of Matthews' inherited runners to score.

The Twins scored three runs in the first inning off the combination of opener Jordan Hicks (2-2) and Tyler Gilbert. Hicks was charged with all three runs on one hit, as he got himself in trouble with a pair of walks. 

It's been an up-and-down season for Hicks, who was unscored upon in 15 straight outings from June 21 through Aug. 1. Alas, he's been touched up for nine runs in his past nine appearances, including six runs in his past two outings. It might be time to demote him back to low leverage until he regains command of the strike zone.

Jose Urquidy pitched well in the bulk role for the Sox, allowing one earned run on three hits over five innings of relief. That saves the bullpen for the next series.

Up next for the Sox: four games in Houston, starting Monday night against the Astros.

White Sox (finally) win a road series

The White Sox on Tuesday clinched their first road series win since the first weekend in May, beating the Baltimore Orioles, 9-3, at Camden Yards.

The victory comes on the heels of an 8-2 win on Monday, and it moves the Sox to 17-25 on the road. This team has been strong at home, as evidenced by a 28-14 record at Rate Field, but they really do need to find more wins on the road.

Consider this a good first step. The last road series win was May 1-3 at San Diego, so the Sox were due.

On Tuesday, they scored seven runs in the third inning. The key hits were a two-run homer by Colson Montgomery, a two-run single by Jacob Gonzalez and a three-run homer by Junior Perez.

Gonzalez has been on a rampage of late. In this game, he was 3 for 5 with three RBIs. Over his past six games, he's 11 for 24 with a homer and 10 RBIs.

He's not Munetaka Murakami, but Gonzalez has done a respectable job of filling in at first base for the Japanese slugger, who has been out since May 29 with a hamstring strain.

Once Murakami comes back from the injured list, I've heard some Sox fans suggest that Gonzalez will be a "trade chip" to acquire help for the pitching staff.

While I agree that pitching help is needed, I think it would be prudent to keep Gonzalez. Did we learn nothing from the Rick Hahn-era White Sox? Gonzalez can play literally every spot on the infield, and he's a great insurance policy should the Sox have another injury sometime in 2026 -- and we all know injuries happen over 162 games.

Right now, the Sox have more decent hitters than spots in the lineup. That's the first time we can say that in years. Let's keep it that way.

Erick Fedde (3-6) picked up the win Tuesday night, allowing three runs over five innings. Tyler Schweitzer worked four scoreless innings for his first career save.

This marks the first time the Sox have had a reliever pitch four innings for a save since Matt Ginter on May 7, 2002. 

Unfortunately for Schweitzer, I think he's likely headed back to Triple-A to make room for Noah Schultz's return to the roster Wednesday. Schultz is expected to make the start as the Sox go for the sweep.

The Sox finish June with a 13-12 record, on the heels of their 18-10 record in May. This is notable because the Sox haven't had back-to-back winning months since the 2021 season, when they last won the American League Central.

The Sox are 45-39 overall, and they'll take a two-game lead in the AL Central into July. 

Munetaka Murakami named AL Rookie of the Month for May

White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami has been named the American League Rookie of the Month for May.

Murakami batted .244/.382/.556 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs for the month, during which the Sox went 18-10. 

The last Sox rookie to win the award was Yermin Mercedes, of all people, in April 2021.

The only downside to this is Murakami ended the month by suffering a Grade 2 hamstring on May 30, which will keep him out four to six weeks.

So far, Murakami has missed five games, and the Sox have gone 3-2. But the road is about to get much harder: Chicago's next 12 games are against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

The Dodgers, Braves and Yankees are probably the three best teams in baseball. All four of those clubs have aspirations of a deep postseason run.

This will be a big test for the Sox to see if they can hold their ground in the AL standings.

White Sox 8, Twins 0

Erick Fedde (1-5) tossed five shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season as the Sox salvaged the finale of a three-game set at Minnesota on Wednesday afternoon. 

Sam Antonacci went 4 for 4 and reached base in all six of his plate appearances. He had two doubles, two singles, a walk, an HBP, two runs scored and an RBI.

Andrew Benintendi went 2 for 3 with three walks and his sixth home run of the season. Jacob Gonzalez went 2 for 4, including a two-run single that highlighted a four-run top of the first inning that gave the Sox all the runs they would need.

The Sox are 33-29. They remain in second place in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians. They also occupy the second of three wild card spots in the AL. 

Edgar Quero walks off Cubs; Sox complete 7-2 homestand

Rate Field on May 13. (Photo by Jason Bauman)

Struggling White Sox catcher Edgar Quero picked the ideal time for his first home run of the season.

Quero, who entered Sunday's game against the crosstown Cubs batting .151 with a .163 slugging percentage, picked on the first pitch he saw from Ryan Rolison in the bottom of the 10th inning and smacked it over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer to give the Sox a 9-8 victory over the hated and despised North Siders.

The Sox took two out of three over the weekend at Rate Field, picking up their first series victory over the Cubs since 2022. 

It was hard-earned.

Sox starter Erick Fedde didn't have good stuff. He needed 84 pitches to get through the first three innings, and after allowing the first two Cubs batters to reach base in the top of the fourth, he was mercifully removed from the game.

Fedde's final line: three innings pitched, six hits, four runs (all earned), four walks, two strikeouts. Fortunately, the Sox only trailed 4-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth. With the traffic the Cubs had on the bases, it easily could have been 7-1.

Instead, the Sox remained within striking distance. They scored one in the fourth, and then tied the game at 4-4 in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by Miguel Vargas.

Meanwhile, the Sox bullpen held the line. Sean Newcomb tossed two scoreless innings. Grant Taylor tossed two scoreless innings. Bryan Hudson pitched out of a second-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth to keep it at 4-4.

In the bottom of the eighth, Tristan Peters took his shot at being the unlikely hero. With two outs, he connected for his first MLB homer off Cubs reliever Phil Maton. It was a 3-run shot that gave the Sox a 7-4 lead going to the top of the ninth.

That should have been the decisive blow, but alas, Seranthony Dominguez has been an adventure as Sox closer. And he had another misadventure Sunday.

Alex Bregman walked to lead off the top of the ninth. After Ian Happ struck out, Seiya Suzuki reached on a two-base throwing error by Vargas that placed runners on second and third.

When a multi-run lead is blown, usually walks and errors are part of it. Dominguez fell behind in the count, 3-1, to Michael Conforto, and the Cubs outfielder blasted the next pitch out to center for a 3-run homer to tie the game at 7-7.

The Sox left two runners on base in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to extras. The Cubs got their ghost runner across against reliever Tyler Davis (2-1), with Bregman picking up the RBI on a slowly hit grounder to short.

But Davis did a good job of preventing further damage and gave the Sox a chance in the bottom of the inning.

After Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice bunt moved ghost runner Chase Meidroth over to third, the struggling Quero delivered perhaps the biggest hit of his career thus far, sending those dressed in black in the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sox are 24-22, one game back of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. For the homestand, the South Siders went 7-2, winning two of three from the Seattle Mariners and sweeping the Kansas City Royals prior to the Cubs series.

I made it to Rate Field for the middle game of the Kansas City series, after a co-worker who is a Royals fan invited me to the game. I took the above photo in the bottom of the eighth inning that night, with Munetaka Murakami at the plate.

As you can see, the fans haven't really come back from these past three miserable seasons. Sure, all these games against the Cubs were sellouts, but all the losing and lousy Jerry Reinsdorf ownership has hit everybody hard.

But maybe more homestands like this will slowly rejuvenate interest in this team. There's a lot of baseball left to be played, and it's a long road back to relevance. But punking the Cubs is one way for the Sox to get a little more mention on the sports talk shows and in the national press. 

Orioles snap modest White Sox winning streak

It's too cold to hit. Boo hoo hoo.

Or maybe the White Sox were just due to lose after their surprising three-game sweep of the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend.

The Sox outscored Toronto 14-7 in their three weekend victories, but they were limited to only four hits Monday in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Rate Field. 

(Sidebar: The Blue Jays lost 14-2 to the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, so perhaps Toronto is in a slump right now.)

One trend that's emerging for the Sox: the use of Grant Taylor as an opener. The right-hander has started three of the four games on the homestand, working a scoreless first inning each time.

In his two starts against Toronto, Taylor needed only nine pitches to get three outs both times. On Monday, he worked around a leadoff double by Baltimore's Taylor Ward.

If it isn't broke, don't fix it? Or maybe give Taylor two innings, if he's efficient in his first inning and the team thinks his future is as a starting pitcher.

Erick Fedde (0-2) pitched well over six innings on Monday, as well, allowing two runs. But that was enough to get him beat on a night when the Sox didn't do much of anything offensively.

Baltimore starter Brandon Young (1-0) was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in his previous 12 career starts, but he tossed five shutout innings against the Sox. He allowed only two hits and two walks, while striking out two.

It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Sox threatened. They scored their only run off Baltimore closer Ryan Helsley, who hung over for his third save of the season.

Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas worked back-to-back walks to start the ninth. They advanced to third on a groundout by Colson Montgomery. Pinch-hitter Lenyn Sosa grounded out, scoring Murakami for the lone Sox run of the game.

An infield single by Andrew Benintendi moved Vargas to third, but with two outs and runners at the corners. Helsely struck out Edgar Quero to end the game.

The Sox lost left fielder Austin Hays to a strained hamstring in the fourth inning. It's fair to expect a trip to the injured list and a roster move before Tuesday's game against Baltimore, which has been moved up to 2:10 p.m. because of the unseasonable cold in Chicago. 

Not that it's going to be much warmer in the afternoon.

The Sox are 4-6. 

Erick Fedde returns to White Sox on 1-year deal

Veteran right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde has agreed to a one-year contract with the White Sox, sources say.

This will be Fedde's second stint with the Sox, as he made 21 starts with the team in 2024 before being traded in July of that season.

The 33-year-old has spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, going a combined 34-55 with a 4.94 ERA with the Washington Nationals, White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.

Fedde enjoyed his best success with the 2024 Sox. Here's a breakdown of that season:

• 2024 with White Sox: 7-4, 3.11 ERA, 1.142 WHIP in 121.2 innings pitched
• 2024 with Cardinals: 2-5, 3.72 ERA, 1.204 WHIP in 55.2 innings pitched
• 2024 totals: 9-9, 3.30 ERA, 1.162 WHIP in 177.1 innings pitched

Those are very respectable totals, and Fedde actually started the 2025 season well in St. Louis. He had a 3.54 ERA over his first 13 starts, but then the wheels completely fell off. Fedde pitched with three different teams before the season was over, and he ended the year in Milwaukee's bullpen. Here's a breakdown of that season:

• 2025 with Cardinals: 3-10, 5.22 ERA, 1.505 WHIP in 101.2 innings pitched
• 2025 with Braves: 1-2, 8.10 ERA, 1.843 WHIP in 23.1 innings pitched
• 2025 with Brewers: 0-1, 3.38 ERA, 1.125 WHIP in 16 innings pitched
• 2025 totals: 4-13, 5.49 ERA, 1.518 WHIP in 141 innings pitched

Fedde seemed to regain his form a bit in the small sample size of relief work with the Brewers, but that season was pretty brutal overall for him.

The Sox are apparently hoping he'll regain his 2024 form in a city where he's comfortable, and where he had his best MLB production.

The best guess here is Fedde slots into the No. 4 spot in the Sox rotation, behind Shane Smith, Davis Martin and Anthony Kay. As camp opens, expect the No. 5 spot to be an open competition among Sean Burke, Jonathan Cannon, Tanner McDougal and David Sandlin.

As is our custom when players return for a second tour in Chicago, let's welcome Fedde back with the traditional video:

 

 

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.