The Chicago White Sox and Major League Baseball are in the middle of the Winter Meetings. They aren't going to be big spenders or anything like that but there are moves to be made to fill out the roster.
On Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN announced that Erick Fedde and the White Sox have agreed on a two-year deal worth $15 million.
Fedde played himself out of Major League Baseball after five bad seasons with the Washington Nationals. The Nats selected him in the first round (18th overall) in the 2014 MLB Draft, but he did not live up to expectations. He finished his tenure there with a -0.6 WAR, a 22-33 record, a 5.41 ERA, and a 1.523 WHIP.
Right-hander Erick Fedde and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a two-year, $15 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Fedde, 30, went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA for the NC Dinos in the KBO, where he was named MVP this year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2023
Eric Fedde is going to be a part of the Chicago White Sox through 2025
Fedde found his way over to the KBO in 2023 and was terrific. He may have revitalized his career as he went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA. He was also the MVP of the league as a member of the NC Dinos.
This is the cheap risky contract that the White Sox were always going to give out. Fedde proved that he deserves a chance in MLB again but he will likely be the one big starting pitcher that the White Sox sign this off-season.
If another team got him as a secondary signing, it would be a worthy risk but White Sox fans know that their team won't be looking for better free agents.
According to Jon Heyman, the New York Mets also tried to snag Fedde as well. This would have been a good signing for them because you know they'll be in on other premier free-agent pitchers as well with all that cash burning a hole in their pocket. During the Steve Cohen era, we've seen them sign Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Kodai Senga amongst others.
It will be interesting to see if his KBO experience helps him with his MLB career. The White Sox don't have the most successful past when it comes to stories like this but we'll see. His spot in the rotation is still to be determined through spring training.
Chris Getz isn't allowed to be in on the premier free-agents so moves like this have to be his thing. We can only hope that it works out well for everyone.