5 pitchers the Chicago White Sox must not bring back next season
These are pitchers the White Sox should not consider giving another chance next season.
The Chicago White Sox are closing in on breaking the 1962 New York Mets record for most losses in a 162-game season.
At the rate this team rarely wins, they could also flirt with having fewer wins than the 1916 Philadelphia A's (36) and the 1935 Boston Braves (38).
For the context of how bad that is, not only have the A's and the Braves left those towns, but they also left the markets they moved to as well.
No matter how badly the Sox finish the season, at least this miserable season is ending soon. That means some bad players no longer have to be on this roster once the final out is made in Detroit.
There are five pitchers that the Chicago White Sox should not consider bringing back next season.
Mike Clevinger
Bringing him back this season was a bad idea in the first place. He did have good value numbers in 2023 with a 2.2 fWAR, but it was also telling that he was still not signed by any pro team after spring training concluded.
The problem was he always came with major character problems and injury concerns. This season it was a neck injury that landed him on the IL. Unlike last season where his IL stint was short, this injury ended his season.
When he was healthy this season, he was terrible. He also took away precious developmental innings from younger, more promising pitchers such as Jonathan Cannon.
It was foolish to sign him thinking he could replicate his 2023 season and a contender would want to trade for him, especially since when he was available on the open market, twice, no other team wanted him.
The Sox cannot entertain him as the veteran pitcher to push promising prospects Nick Nastrini, Ky Bush, Jairo Iriarte, and Mason Adams in spring training for the fifth starter spot.
Plus, this team cannot afford any more public relations hits.
Chris Flexen
He is another veteran who keeps getting in the way of using September games that the team does not have to worry about impacting a win to get a look at what Adams or Sean Burke can do in the bigs.
His presence also does not allow Bush to work on his command issues in the majors.
It is not the end of the world to have Ky throw at Triple-A Charlotte, but this season is so lost that he can work on fixing his command problems with the Sox.
Instead, the Sox keep throwing out a veteran who does a great job of allowing baserunners and then hoping he can minimize the damage.
While he has done well at limiting the damage over his past two starts, the Sox also manage to lose whenever he starts. Yesterday's win was the first time in a while that the Southsiders were victorious in a game he started. However, he has gone 21 straight games with either a defeat or a no decision on his ledger.
Not entertaining signing him to come back next season is a must. First, no one wanted him at the trade deadline, so it is unlikely that will change next season. Also, if the front office wants to bring in a veteran pitcher next season, it can always find better options around the same price in free agency.
Michael Soroka
The idea that he could salvage his career on the Southside was a good one. The Sox got him an offseason trade from the Atlanta Braves after injuries derailed his once promising career.
There was nothing wrong with seeing if he could regain the form he had in 2019 when he had a 2.68 ERA. If he could even put up an ERA that was a run higher, he could have been flipped at the deadline. If that did not happen, it only cost the Sox a reliever that had to be traded to thrive.
It turns out that Soroka's career as a starter is pretty much over. He was ineffective and demoted to the bullpen earlier in the season.
He showed that being a long reliever might be an option in his future as his relief outings ranged from okay to solid.
He could not avoid his biggest problem in his career and that was landing on the IL.
That is a big reason the Sox should not consider bringing him back to see if he could be a long-relief option. If there is a reliever the Sox should entertain bringing back from this terrible bullpen, Dominic Leone at least can provide some veteran guidance as he did with Nastrini.
Soroka's lack of availability is why the Sox should let another team offer him an invite to camp.
Chad Kuhl
The White Sox should explore the options they have at Triple-A or even off the free-agent scrap heap rather than see if he can be a veteran who can provide guidance and performance next season.
First, he is not doing that right now with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has been terrible since the calendar flipped to August.
He is another poster boy for the frustration fans should have as he keeps getting relief appearances that should be going to a guy like Trey McGough or Adisyn Coffey. The front office should treat these September games like early spring training.
McGough and Coffey have pitched well out of the pen in Charlotte to warrant a look. Instead, Kuhl is allowed to stay on the 26-man roster and waste precious evaluation time.
Steven Wilson
Wilson has battled injuries and has been terrible all season. He was acquired in the Dylan Cease deal to be the team's setup man.
Instead, he has been ineffective or on the 15-day IL.
This is an instance where the front office brought in a pitcher who they thought could help the bullpen now and down the road since he will not be a free agent until 2028.
He is already 29 and looks nothing like the solid bullpen arm he was in San Diego. It would be better to non-tender him to open up a spot in the bullpen for one of the team's younger pitchers in the system or a free-agent addition.
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