1:58pm: Heyman tweets that Pelfrey has agreed to a minor league deal. He’ll head to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being.
1:51pm: Heyman reports that the two sides have agreed to a deal, though he doesn’t specify whether it’s a minor league pact that’ll send Pelfrey to Triple-A Charlotte for the time being or a Major League deal that will place Pelfrey directly onto the 25-man roster.
1:22pm: The White Sox are closing in on a deal with right-hander Mike Pelfrey, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The 33-year-old Pelfrey was released by the Tigers last week.
The Tigers cut bait on Pelfrey prior to the start of the season, electing to jettison the struggling righty rather than stick with him in hopes of salvaging some value out of the ill-fated two-year, $16MM contract signed by Pelfrey in the 2015-16 offseason. Detroit will be on the hook for the entirety of Pelfrey’s $8MM salary in 2017, minus the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time the right-hander spends in the Majors with the White Sox (or any other club).
Pelfrey’s lone year in Detroit resulted in a lackluster 5.07 ERA with 4.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 52.2 percent ground-ball rate. His 92.8 mph heater and solid grounder rate do create some mild cause for optimism, but Pelfey’s struggles weren’t confined to his 2016 season in the Motor City. In fact, since undergoing Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for nearly the entire 2012 season, Pelfrey has logged an unsightly 4.97 ERA in 460 innings with the Twins and Tigers.
While not an exciting addition to the White Sox’ depth chart, Pelfrey can give the club an option at the back of a rotation that is currently rife with uncertainty. Following the trade of Chris Sale this offseason and an injury that will sideline Carlos Rodon up to six weeks (possibly more), the Chicago rotation features Jose Quintana, James Shields, Derek Holland, Miguel Gonzalez and Rule 5 pick Dylan Covey (with swingman Anthony Swarzak also waiting in the wings). Pelfrey, if nothing else, can eventually surface in the Majors and simply function as an innings eater and a bridge to some of the Sox’ electric young arms — including Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech and Reynaldo Lopez.
Thought the Mets signed him
they were close but he declined due to a possible starting spot on the whitesoxs
Are you serious???? Oh Lord… once was enough with Mr. Dropsweat!
Chicago must by desperate
They are desperate. They actually thought they were pitching rich, maybe in 2-3 years. But I really believe Fulmer and Giolito are over rated. Rodon was never an ace. #3 or 4 at very best. So there isn’t anything else in the tomb they call guaranteed rate field. The team matches the fields name, shitty.
Someone’s gotta eat innings. They want to keep guys like Kopech and Giolito down for at least most of the year to save on their service time. Besides, they want to be terrible this year to get a good draft slot. I really like the move, especially for the very low cost.
Lol. Finally a move Al Avilla did paid off! The Tigers now get to pay Mike Pelfrey for BP
As a White Sox fan, go ahead! Let the tank go on!
Full tank mode it is!
I think your enthusiasm for the “full tank mode” is misplaced. You seem to embrace the notion that prospects will always make the parent club better. It’s worth remembering that everyone on the Sox major league roster was a prospect at one time, and you seem convinced that the next batch will invariably be better. I’m less sanguine about that.
Would you rather take the chance on rebuilding with young players or continue to be a bad team despite trying? They were absolutely stuck in mediocrity, they needed a change.
People thinking that rebuilding is smart are not thinking that every prospect will work out. They are recognizing that the roster they had wasn’t going anywhere but down.
Prospects bust, a lot. But if you hit on a couple and at least have decent role players you stand a far better chance of being a competent team than what they had before.
If you’re going to rebuild, there isn’t much point in not just committing to it. I’m not sure what you’d like them to do?
They’ve been in full tank mode since 2005
Bull! If the White Sox are that concerned about MLB service time for their top starting pitching prospects like Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer (they say they’re not, btw) then they always have the opportunity to promote some of their lesser ones to fill the #5 spot until Carlos Rodon returns from the disabled list, perhaps Tyler Danish or Chris Beck. I’d sure as hell rather see them afforded an opportunity than a beat up and ineffective 33-year old veteran like Mike Pelfrey. Besides, would having Danish or Beck starting give the club much more of an opportunity to win games in 2017?
Aside from getting a crack as younger pitchers, they are each more stretched out now to be starters at AAA than either Pelfrey, Anthony Swarzak and Dylan Covey currently are. Their potential to throw more innings could potentially benefit a bullpen that has many veterans the White Sox might considering “flipping” by the July 31st trade deadline.
White Sox fans might recall the season ending injuries to Jake Petricka and Zach Putnam last summer, which may have been exasperated when the team’s bullpen was overused early in the year due to the lack of innings from starters John Danks and Mat Latos. Zach Duke also needed TJ surgery following the season after being dealt to the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Even closer David Robertson admitted at the conclusion of 2016 that he was less than 100% during the second half of the season. Fans wouldn’t want to see a repeat of those bullpen injuries in 2017. The club might have enough trouble getting quality starts beyond Jose Quintana. Adding Pelfrey, Swarzak or Covey to the rotation could make things even worse for a bullpen that figures to get plenty of use as it is in 2017.
Edit for length please.
Beck is a reliever. Threw 7IP in 5 ST appearances.
Danish is a reliever. Threw 7.1 IP in 6 ST appearances.
Well, the White Sox and Charlotte Knights have yet to announce their AAA starting rotation as of this post. The only thing official so far is that Reynaldo Lopez will start the season opener Thursday night at home. There are currently 17 pitchers listed on the Knights roster and only 7 would be considered candidates to start including Danish and Beck. I would expect Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer to take the ball in games 2 and 3. That leaves Danish, Beck, Chris Volstad and Brandon Brennan as the only other possibilities in addition to Mike Pelfrey when he is sufficiently stretched out.
Btw-You are only referring to the official Cactus League innings of Beck and Danish who were not starters in the White Sox big league camp. They were reassigned to the minor league camp in mid-March, about a week before Lopez, Giolito and Fulmer were. The latter three did pitch primarily as starters in Cactus League action along with some of the White Sox veterans who will be in the 2017 rotation. The White Sox wanted to get an extended look at their top 3 pitching prospects and they were also covering ST innings for Jose Quintana who was pitching in the WBC as well as Carlos Rodon who was on a limited throwing program throughout camp. Once demoted, Danish and Beck began stretching out in the minor league camp in preparation for the 2017 season in Charlotte.
This is a good attempt at creating a 2018-Round1-Pick1 rotation, but the Padres are 4 steps ahead.
The Reds are close too.
“Mike, we’ve seen what you can do against the AL Central and think you’re a perfect fit for what we’re trying to accomplish” – Rick Hahn
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
I’ll bet the Tiger lineup can’t wait to face him! A “nice” combination of “Bad Game” James and Pelf.
Not sure why the Tigers aren’t selling assets. They’re not a good team.
Because Al Avilla is the worst gm in baseball. Paying his only 2 pitching additions since Dave Dombrowski 13.5 mill this year to not be on the team. And he picked Upton over Cespedes
Eh. We know that ownership was very involved in that team over the last couple years. Avila might be terrible, but I’m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and see what he does the next few years going forward with what will almost certainly have to be a rebuild.
If you stay in that division and look at the early years of Rick Hahn, they’re not great either. But there’s a pretty good chance that’s because ownership meddled and Kenny Williams was allowed anywhere near the team.
On paper and in reality the Lowe signing made sense, the Pelfrey one did not.
chesteraarthur
Yeah, the current rebuild was definitely Rick Hahn’s idea. He had to first convince both Kenny Williams and owner Jerry Reinsdorf of this new direction last summer. That is when the organization began letting others know they would be selling off veteran assets as the trade deadline approached. The White Sox were still in their re-tool mode up through June after having already traded for James Shields earlier in the month to try and regain the momentum they had lost from the clubs fast start through mid-March.
From all accounts, it appears that Hahn will orchestrate the clubs new direction with Williams concentrating on scouting and Reinsdorf signing off on any dollars spent for the likes of international free agent Luis Robert while also approving those that might have to be “eaten” in trades for pitchers like David Robertson and Shields.
Correction: Fast start through mid-May when they had MLB’s second best record, trailing only the Cubs.
I bet the tiger lineup can’t wait to face him. On the other hand, is facing Pelfrey twice in a season worth the $8mm that you’re still paying him? Time to blow it up Tigers
Mike Pelfey 2018 Season
GS: 33
IP: 217
ERA: 2.95
WHIP: 1.01
W: 18
L: 7
The crack must be good in Chicago
then we can argue about what astros prospects should or should not be untouchable in a pelfrey trade
So he’ll be pitching in High A in 2018?
Boom
Lol
When Mike Pelfrey is an upgrade for your rotation.
Wow.
Why is Mike Pelfrey still getting job offers? He offers zero anything to any roster.
He got a job offer from a team trying to lose as many games as possible. This deal actually makes perfect sense.
And he allows them to avoid the whole issue of bringing up their young arms for right now.
More like a band-aid than an upgrade.
Tomato, Tomato.
I’ll repeat, it’s a smart move for a team 4 months into a rebuild with Covey and Swarzak as the current options.
Whew, No Pelfrey. Now I can stop shuddering…
CAA is spot on. No other reason….other than having another team pay for the lions share of his salary
Not sure how smart this move is, at least in the short term with the possibility of Mike Pelfrey becoming the White Sox #5 starter by April 15th in Minnesota.
Pelfrey is 33, two years older than journeyman Anthony Swarzak and much older than Rule 5 pickup Dylan Covey. He was released by the Tigers last week and obviously would need to be stretched out quickly, just like Swarzak or Covey, in order to be a feasible option as the White Sox fifth starter in the near term. In addition, Pelfrey has been so bad since his 2012 TJ surgery, his numbers almost make John Danks’ last few seasons with the White Sox look respectable in comparison. lol
Bottom line: I see Pelfrey more as an insurance policy in AAA in case one of the White Sox four veteran starters goes down with an injury and a potential fifth starter later this month and into May when the promotions of Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito or Carson Fulmer would be more likely. Pelfrey would still have to show something at Charlotte in the upcoming weeks (like Miguel Gonzalez did early last season), otherwise he could be an absolute killer to the White Sox bullpen early on, which might have a negative impact on the veterans there who could be summer trade candidates in addition to the clubs senior starting pitchers who have been suggested in rumors.
Who knows, he might be here to be the 26th man and start the second game of the double-header for the game that got PPD today. And like you said: mostly here to be AAA insurance in case someone else goes down. That way they don’t need to rush an arm up (even though they do have Beck, Danish and Volstad in the minors).
That double-headier is in late May. The White Sox could just as easily begin promoting some of their top starting pitching prospects to the rotation from AAA by then. They would also have the choice of recalling one of them as the 26th man, then optioning him back down again following the start with a net result of one day accrued MLB service time for the appearance.
The Nationals did something similar with top White Sox prospect Reynaldo Lopez last summer. He was promoted and optioned down twice in July (the 19th and the 30th), making two starts while only gaining 2 days of MLB service time in the process. He made 3 more starts when he was recalled in mid-August. At that point in time he was needed for consecutive starts in their rotation which he made on the 13th, 18th and 23rd. He was optioned back down following the 3rd start. The net result for Lopez in July and August was 5 starts and 13 days of accrued service time. He finished the year with the Nationals when rosters were expanded in September, making one final start on the 4th before being shifted to the bullpen for the remainder of the campaign. He was effective enough in relief that the Nats placed him on their postseason roster where he actually made one appearance before the club was eliminated by the Dodgers in the NLDS.
The White Sox could choose to do a similar routine this season with Lopez, Lucas Giolito and/or Carson Fulmer…give them some MLB experience under the watchful eye of pitching coach Don Cooper while also saving some themselves some valuable service time with each pitcher. Or they could just hold each back until later in May, June or by the the summer trade deadline when they hope to have some of their veterans dealt. Either way, I’d just assume see younger pitchers given an opportunity than another broken pitcher like Pelfrey.
Beck, Danish or especially Volstad would be a better bet
Better bets and more sensible ones for a rebuilding team than Mike Pelfrey, who btw will now be blocking some younger pitcher from Charlotte’s AAA rotation. Sorry, but I don’t need to see a broken and ineffective 33-year old blocking Tyler Danish, Chris Beck, Chris Volstad or Brandon Brennan from making starts assuming Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and Carson Fulmer are locks for the first 3 rotation slots.
Why do you keep claiming that Pelfrey is blocking players that the White Sox have already moved to the Bullpen?
Brennan, Beck, Danish
Well, for starters (lol) this article from CBS Sports and the Chicago Tribune just 12 days ago and 10 days after Tyler Danish was reassigned to minor league camp:
Danish has been mentioned as one option to fill in for Carlos Rodon (biceps), who is expected to start the season on the disabled list, Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports.
General manager Rick Hahn and manager Rick Renteria got caught off guard by Rodon’s injury, and their fill-in plans are pending a second opinion early next week. Hahn reiterated the organization’s desire not to call up any of its three prized pitching prospects, particularly if that means having them shuttle between the minors and big leagues, which might be the case if Rodon misses only a start or two. That leaves Danish, fellow right-hander Dylan Covey and left-hander David Holmberg as possible stopgaps until Rodon is ready.
Btw-Tyler Danish has already been penciled in as the #4 starter for AAA Charlotte to begin the 2017 season, following Reynaldo Lopez, Carson Fulmer and Lucas Giolito in the rotation. Danish will be starting the opening series finale on Sunday at home against the Orioles AAA affiliate from Norfolk. No word yet on who takes the bump as Charlotte’s #5 starter on Monday in Durham.
Dude, What’s with the novels?
Sometimes it’s necessary to make a point. It might also add information that may not have been in the original article, giving a topic more perspective.
Nope.
Not at all. Nobody cares about what you have to say.
Then don’t read it or switch to exclusively perusing Twitter if extended comments annoy you that much…
And it’s naturally essential to spell out first and last names, and clarify that its’ General manager Rick Hahn and manager Rick Renteria that we’re referring to when specifying the “organization’s desire”. You know. Gives the topic more perspective.
This is great!!! Now I can stop Shuddering that the Mets were going to bring him on
Whew..Thought the Mets were going to sign and ‘rehabilitate’ him…Now I can exhale.
You don’t have to read his comment.
Maybe the White Sox “discovered something they can fix”
Brrrrr….rather they picked up Melvin Upton.
Another washed up veteran signing? Embrace change brotha, those days are over.
I hope so, but I rather doubt it. Reinsdorf is still the owner and he got Rondo and Wade for the Bulls this year. After signing guys like Dunn and LaRoche, it just feels like he’s still living 5 or more years in the past.
The White Sox are Jerry Reinsdorf’s passion, not the Bulls. His son Michael is more involved in the NBA franchise and “GarPax” have yet to convince anybody higher up than them that a new direction is needed to overhaul that team.
Rick Hahn finally did this with the White Sox, convincing both Kenny Williams and JR that the re-tooling/re-loading wasn’t working and a full rebuild was needed to turn the tide of a franchise stuck in varying degrees of mediocrity since 2008.
Let’s be honest. Both teams wanted to do full rebuilds, but strong influence has tempered that. With the Sox, it’s Kenny. With the Bulls, it’s Wade. As long as they remain with the teams it will always be a reluctant rebuild. It’s no surprise then that the players they’ve dealt or loss had weak relations with those two.
I’m encouraged by Hahn’s bargain moves to fill Rodon’s void, but like last year the bullpen has surprised. If the team can get 30 wins before Junl, Kenny’s influence will grow. Similarly if the Bulls can get in & make it to the 2nd round, Wade’s influence will too.