After reuniting with Erick Fedde on a one-year deal, the White Sox finally have clarity at the top of their starting rotation — even if spring training could still complicate things.
When White Sox fans were advocating for the team to make another addition to the starting rotation, they were probably shooting a bit higher in their minds than a one-year deal for Erick Fedde.
But that’s what they got — a cheap reunion as the organization bets on its ability to restore Fedde to his 2024 form.
That may require a slight change in pitch usage. It will definitely require Fedde to throw more strikes and issue fewer free passes moving forward.
Now that he’s under contract, however, the White Sox have a fairly clear-cut top five leading the way for the starting rotation. They finally have clarity at a position that had been a mystery for most of the offseason.
Shane Smith, Davis Martin, Sean Burke, Anthony Kay, and Erick Fedde. As the team heads into spring training, those five are the clear favorites — three holdovers from last year’s staff and two free-agent acquisitions.
What could get in the way of that group breaking camp together? Outside of the obvious, like an injury, there are a number of pitchers in the organization who could force the issue with a lights-out spring.
Maybe Sean Newcomb or Mike Vasil — two pitchers I’ve penciled in for relief roles — take advantage of their opportunity to start in camp and prove they can handle a starter’s workload.
Or maybe it’s a prospect on the cusp of a big-league debut. Someone like Tanner McDougal, David Sandlin, or Noah Schultz. While Triple-A Charlotte feels like the most likely destination for all three, it wouldn’t be shocking if one of them overwhelms White Sox coaches in spring training.
The stuff is off the charts for each of them. And in a straight one-for-one comparison between young arms throwing triple digits and Erick Fedde, Fedde is going to lose that battle.
Fortunately for him, setting an Opening Day roster is about more than fielding the most explosive team possible. Especially with young pitching, it’s about building something that can withstand the rigors of a 162-game season.
Shane Smith and Davis Martin feel like locks. And regardless of what happens in spring training, it’s hard to see the White Sox opening the season with Anthony Kay or Erick Fedde in Charlotte if they’re among the highest-paid players on the roster — a bar that, admittedly, is not very high. Still, the point stands.
Innings are just as important to the White Sox right now as raw production. Could McDougal be more productive at the back end of the rotation than Fedde? It’s possible. But his career high is 113 innings, and he’s bound to hit a wall at some point if he hits the ground running.
The same goes for Sandlin, Schultz, or any young pitcher without MLB experience.
That’s why the simplest on-paper solution is for the White Sox to roll with their most experienced five. Get into the rhythm of the season with pitchers who can get deep into games and eat innings.
If the prospects force the issue, they force the issue — and that’s something you can address once the calendar flips to May.
The organization has enough depth in the upper minors to keep young arms rested, healthy, and stretched out. Then you turn to them if they either have nothing left to prove in the minors, or one of your top five starters becomes a clear detriment to the team’s success.