April 4: Clevinger’s new deal and its $3MM basic salary were officially disclosed by the White Sox. Jose Rodriguez, an infielder, was officially declared DFA by the team, clearing a position on the 40-man roster. In order to develop, Clevinger has consented to be optioned to the team’s affiliate in the Arizona Complex League. April 1, 9:50 p.m.: According to Robert Murray of FanSided, Clevinger will receive $3 million in compensation from the White Sox in 2024, with an extra $3 million attainable through incentives. 4:55 p.m.: According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the White Sox and right-hander Mike Clevinger have reached a deal, subject to a medical. Although Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports, the specifics of the agreement for the ACES client are yet unknown.
The 33-year-old Clevinger was one of many free agents who found themselves on the open market for an extended period of time as the offseason transpired far more slowly than anyone had predicted. The previous winter, he had inked a one-year contract worth $12 million with the White Sox. Later, it was revealed that Clevinger was the subject of a domestic abuse probe; nevertheless, the probe ended without the pitcher facing any disciplinary action. After that, he pitched 131 1/3 innings for the Sox with an earned run average of 3.77. He had a respectable season. Despite being placed on the disabled list twice—once for inflammation in his right wrist and then for inflammation in his right biceps—he was still able to take the ball 24 times.
Though the ERA was nice, there were other numbers that were less impressive. His 20% strikeout rate was below league average and well below the 28% rate Clevinger posted from 2017 to 2020. He underwent Tommy John surgery in November of 2020, missing the entire 2021 season, and hasn’t been quite the same since his return. His velo hasn’t quite come all the way back to pre-surgery levels and he only struck out 18.8% of batters faced in 2022.
In 2023, luck may have helped him keep his ERA low, as his .281 batting average on balls in play and 77.2% strand rate were both on the fortunate side. His 4.28 FIP and 4.81 SIERA suggest he may not have been as effective as the ERA make him look.
Perhaps it was those underlying metrics or maybe it was just a side effect of the generally weak offseason, but Clevinger didn’t find a deal to his liking during the winter and will now be signing after the 2024 campaign has already begun.
The Sox should benefit from having Clevinger pitch a few innings; they don’t need him to be an ace. They began a rebuild last year by trading away Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn. This winter, they acquired Dylan Cease and placed Michael Kopech into a relief position. Jesse Scholtens had to have Tommy John surgery, and Touki Toussaint was immediately removed from the team. Before Clevinger’s comeback, every pitcher who started more than three games for the Sox in 2023 was either out of the lineup, hurt, or in the bullpen due to José Ureña’s signing with the Rangers.
There are presently newcomers in the rotation. While Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen signed as free agents, Michael Soroka was acquired by trade, and reliever Garrett Crochet is heading in the opposite direction as Kopech. In the previous year, the team acquired Jared Shuster, Jake Eder, and Jairo Iriarte through trades; however, each player has been optioned to Triple-A. That means there is one vacancy, which Clevinger will eventually fill. Even though he has been accruing pitch counts in an unofficial capacity, he will likely need some tune-up time to get into game shape because he missed all of Spring Training.
Any of their current starters could find themselves available at the trade deadline, which could further open up the need for innings. Soroka and Flexen are both impending free agents while Fedde is controlled through 2025 and Crochet through 2026. With the club’s timeline for a return to contention unclear, there would be an argument for making any of those guys available.
Some of the younger pitchers listed earlier may get a chance to try out if those players are traded, but there’s a good chance that someone will be needed to take the mound given the constant string of injuries that occurs during the season. Clevinger may also put himself in a trade situation if he can figure out a way to regain his strikeouts.
