Over the course of the 2024 campaign, there was very, very little that went right for the Chicago White Sox. They finished as the worst team in MLB history and are going to be in store for many losing seasons before their fortune begins to turn.
During the 2024-25 offseason, the club only lost a few players to free agency, as the vast majority of their rentals at this past trade deadline were sent packing. One of them, Michael Soroka, was a candidate to be brought back to Chicago if there was mutual interest after he showed some serious potential out of their bullpen in 2024.
Instead, the White Sox swung and missed, and Soroka signed with the Washington Nationals on a one-year, $9 million pact. He will be used as a starting pitcher, a role he struggled in with the White Sox in 2024, on his new club.
Free-agent RHP Mike Soroka in agreement with Nationals, source tells @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 19, 2024
White Sox whiff on bringing back free agent Michael Soroka
Soroka, 27, was at one point considered one of the game's best and brightest young stars as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He made the 2019 All-Star Game, finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race, and wound up sixth in the NL Cy Young voting. The next four years were ravaged by injuries and he has seen a ton of his shine fade over the years.
This past year, Soroka suited up for the White Sox in an effort to eat some innings for the rebuilding club while also recouping some of his value. As a starting pitcher, he went 0-5 with a 6.39 ERA across nine starts, striking out and walking 24 batters apiece. This role clearly was not going to work for him, so Chicago tried him out in the bullpen for the first time in his career.
In a rare instance of something going right for the 2024 White Sox, Soroka excelled as a relief pitcher. The right-hander wound up making 16 relief appearances, posting a sparkling 2.75 ERA across 36 innings. He regained his control (in a big way), too, striking out a whopping 60 batters in just 36 innings. This showing made him one of the more intriguing options on the free agent market this winter.
Obviously, there's a ton of risk signing Soroka, who has a long history with injuries and some recent inconsistencies, but that made him the perfect target for another go-round with the White Sox. Instead, the club recently signed Bryse Wilson to fill the spot in their rotation Soroka could've taken back, and the Nationals may just have found themselves a potential diamond in the rough.