With Sunday night’s Super Bowl officially wrapping up football season, baseball season is officially upon us. As MLB teams get set to open Spring Training facilities this week, several unsigned players will find last-minute deals for 2026. The White Sox, with questions looming about their starting rotation, became a home to one of those players, reportedly bringing back RHP Erick Fedde on a one-year deal.
White Sox are bringing back old friend Erick Fedde on a one-year major league deal, as @Joelsherman1 first reported.
— James Fegan (@JRFegan) February 9, 2026
He had a 3.11 ERA in 121.2 IP for the 2024 White Sox. Things have changed a little for both sides since, but it was a productive partnership.
Fedde, who will turn 33 later this month, spent the first half of the 2024 season with the White Sox after revamping his arsenal in Japan. Fedde posted a 3.11 ERA in 21 starts with the White Sox before a deadline trade sent him to the St. Louis Cardinals and landed the White Sox Miguel Vargas, among others. Fedde posted a 3.72 ERA in 10 starts for the Cardinals down the stretch, but struggled mightily in his second year in St. Louis. His 5.22 ERA in 20 starts led to his DFA and trade to Atlanta, where he posted an 8.10 ERA over 23.1 innings. Atlanta released Fedde and he signed with Milwaukee in August, and his 3.38 ERA in seven relief appearances was more promising.
Fedde will now return to the White Sox, where he’ll have the inside track to joining a starting rotation that includes Shane Smith, Davis Martin, and Anthony Kay.
During his strong 2024 season, Fedde featured a four-pitch mix led by his cutter and sinker. He wasn’t a huge strikeout pitcher, instead using strong location to initiate soft contact. Not much changed in terms of his pitch usage from 2024 to 2025, but his BB/9 nearly doubled and his K/9 took a dip. His sinker and cutter were far less effective last season, with each being torched to an above .300 opponent batting average. His sinker in particular regressed majorly, dropping from a 20.2% whiff percentage in 2024 to just 9.8% in 2025.
White Sox will look to help Erick Fedde regain 2024 form
Nothing in Fedde’s profile from 2025 seems to indicate a bunch of bad luck was involved, it seems he simply lost his feel for his pitches. It’s certainly possible that Brian Bannister, who was involved with Fedde’s transition back to the major leagues and oversaw the White Sox pitching staff during the best season of his career, could unlock the Erick Fedde from 2024. If Fedde is able to regain that form, he’s a solid stabilizing presence in the White Sox rotation who could be dealt for a future asset at the trade deadline, but if not, he’ll actively hurt a White Sox team looking to win more games this season.
I’ve advocated for the majority of the offseason for the White Sox to go out and add an innings-eater to their rotation. A stabilizing presence with a recent track record of success like Zack Littell, Chris Bassitt, or even Justin Verlander would’ve made a ton of sense for this White Sox team, but a reunion with Erick Fedde, who was designated for assignment by three different organizations in 2025, was not the strong depth the White Sox needed.
On the bright side, the White Sox have a plethora of young arms that could easily step into Fedde’s rotation spot if he’s unable to regain his 2024 form. There’s very little risk involved in bringing in Fedde, but I was hoping a little higher to round out a starting pitching staff that could be a serious problem for the White Sox in 2025.
Hopefully, Erick Fedde and Brian Bannister will make me eat my words.