SOX ANNOUNCE DEAL WITH VET CLEVINGER
Righty, who re-signed for 1 year, $3M, could be ready by late April, early May
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Citing the “you can never have enough pitching” adage and embracing the second coming of a pitcher who brought unwanted attention to the organization the first time, the White Sox announced a one-year, $3 million reunion contract with right-hander Mike Clevinger on Thursday.
Clevinger was optioned to the Arizona Complex League, where he’ll take the first steps toward a return to the rotation. An arrival goal of late April or early May has been set by general manager Chris Getz, who brings back arguably the team’s most effective starter last season but one who remained in limbo in free agency until the Sox agreed to a deal Monday.
Clevinger, 33, went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA with 110 strikeouts and two complete games over 24 starts and 131⅓ innings with the Sox last season after agreeing to terms on a oneyear deal on Dec. 4, 2022.
“I’ve yet to meet anyone in Major League Baseball that is comfortable with their starting pitching and starting-pitching depth,” Getz said Thursday.
“You’ve got 162 games; you’ve got a lot of innings to cover. It’s in the best interest of the organization to have impact-type arms that can help us at any point.”
MLB was investigating Clevinger for an allegation of physical abuse and child abuse by a former partner when he signed with the Sox in ’22, but the Sox were not aware. The commissioner’s office announced last March that it would not discipline Clevinger after a lengthy investigation. The Sox say they’re assured there are no character issues of concern.
“I don’t want to be dismissive of events that involve domestic violence,” Getz said Thursday. “You have to trust people that lead investigations. Based on the information we have now, we’ve very comfortable having Clev join the White Sox.
“I understand the sensitivity here, and I don’t want to be dismissive of that at all. But we wouldn’t be doing this unless we were very comfortable with this situation, and the reason we’re most comfortable is based on the investigation that has taken place beyond the Chicago White Sox.”
Off to a 1-5 start, the Sox have a rotation of Garrett Crochet, Michael Soroka, Erick Fedde, Chris Flexen and a yet named or needed fifth starter. Clevinger led Sox starters in wins and ERA last season. His 24 starts were his most since 2018 with Cleveland, when he made 32.
Clevinger is 60-39 with a 3.45 ERA in 152 games (138 starts) over seven seasons in the majors with Cleveland (2016-20), San Diego (2020, 2022) and the Sox (2023).
“I’m glad he’s here now,” said veteran reliever Bryan Shaw, a teammate of Clevinger’s with the Sox and Cleveland. “As soon as he’s ready, we’ll need somebody to take that veteran presence in the rotation.
“Good guy in the clubhouse, takes the ball when we need him to and competes whether he has his best stuff or worst stuff.”
“He was one of our better pitchers last year,” Getz said. “He was one of our hardest workers. His teammates really liked having him around; they felt like he was really supportive. He’s a guy that can help us win.”
Clevinger has been throwing at home and is stretched out to “three ups,” or the equivalent of close to three innings.
“His arm is in good shape,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do and when he needs to do it to get himself here.’’
Clevinger opted out of his end of a mutual option after last season.
“We had conversations,” Getz said. “He had the right to look around the league and gauge his own market.”
As it turns out, it was cool enough to turn his attention back to the Sox, who made room for him on the 40-man roster by designating infield prospect Jose Rodriguez for assignment. Rodriguez, 22, combined to hit .262/.292/.437 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI in 106 games last season with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte.