White Sox Add Mike Clevinger, But Does That Mean The Rotation Is Set?

SportsMoney White Sox Add Mike Clevinger, But Does That Mean The Rotation Is Set? Phil Rogers Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I’ve covered sports forever, based mostly in Chicago and Dallas. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Nov 28, 2022, 09:04am EST | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JUNE 05: Mike Clevinger #52 of the San Diego Padres throws a pitch in the . . .

[+] first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on June 05, 2022 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) Getty Images Adding to a starting rotation that stands out as a team strength, the White Sox have reached an agreement to sign right-hander Mike Clevinger. He enters his age-32 season looking to show he’s all the way back from Tommy John surgery, which caused him to miss the 2021 season.

The Sox hope he will turn out to be the same kind of a bargain they landed when they signed Johnny Cueto a year ago. Clevinger pitched on three playoff teams for the Cleveland Guardians, a rival to the White Sox in the American League Central. He was traded to San Diego in the 2020 season and signed a two-year extension with the Padres when they knew he would be sidelined for surgery.

Clevinger is seemingly penciled in to be a fifth starter behind Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech. While adding him would seem to close the window on changes within the rotation, the White Sox open up some intriguing possibilities by signing him this early in the free-agent cycle. They only control their most successful young starter, Giolito, through 2023 as he heads toward free agency.

Cueto, who finished second on the pitching staff behind Cease with 3. 5 WAR after signing a minor-league contract after last year’s lockout, could be re-signed to make Giolito expendable. Cueto pitched well enough last season (3.

35 ERA over 158 1/3 innings with a 1. 225 WHIP and a 3. 1/1 strikeout-to-walk ration) to attract attention from multiple teams on the market.

White Sox GM Rick Hahn could shop Giolito at the upcoming winter meetings while pursuing a new contract with Cueto, who seemed to like his fit on the South Side. MORE FOR YOU Why The Rock’s Social Media Muscle Made Him Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actor Sibling Rivalry: 2022 Mazda CX-5 Vs. 2023 Mazda CX-50 How The Jobs Atlas Makes Jobs To Be Done Actionable Giolito had a run of three excellent seasons before taking a step backward when he pitched to a 4.

90 ERA over 161 2/3 innings last year. His situation somewhat parallels the situation with lefty John Danks after the 2011 season. The White Sox locked up Danks with a five-year, $65-million contract after he went through arbitration a season at a time.

He had missed a little time with a shoulder injury in the ’11 season, and those problems returned shortly after he signed his extension. Danks wound up going 25-48 with a 4. 92 ERA over the five years of the deal.

Danks would have had some trade value had the Sox moved him as a one-year rental. The same seems true with Giolito, who is only entering his age-28 season. Giolito could be dealt to help fill the need for left-handed bats in the outfield or at second base.

Matt Swartz’s model for the website MLB Trade Rumors projects Giolito’s 2023 salary to be $10. 45 million. That would go a long way in getting a deal with Cueto, assuming the White Sox believe he can repeat the success he had in 2022.

The agreement with Clevinger was reported by Ken Rosenthal. Jon Morosi reports it is a one-year deal worth about $8 million guaranteed. Prior to signing Clevinger, the White Sox had lowered their payroll from a franchise record $193.

4 million at the start of last season to a running total of about $160. 5 million. They appear willing to allow their offensive leader, Jose Abreu, to sign elsewhere as they move Andrew Vaughn from right field to first base and keep the DH spot open for Eloy Jimenez.

Clevinger was 38-18 with a 2. 96 ERA over 447 2/3 innings with Cleveland in 2017-19. His slider was an elite pitch in that era, holding hitters to a .

163 batting average in 381 at-bats overs those three seasons. He has lost about two miles per hour in velocity since Tommy John surgery, and wasn’t as effective with his slider last season. His best pitch in 2022 was a 93-mph sinker that held opponents to a .

136 batting average and . 182 slugging percentage. Follow me on Twitter .

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