Mike Clevinger has declined his half of a $12MM mutual option on his deal with the White Sox, the team announced. He receives a $4MM buyout and qualifies for free agency. Chicago also confirmed their previously-reported decision to buy out righty Liam Hendriks.
Clevinger spent one season on Chicago’s south side. He inked a $12MM guarantee last winter, collecting an $8MM salary and the buyout. He worked to a 3.88 ERA over 12 starts before biceps inflammation sent him to the injured list on June 16. The injury cost him six weeks and, arguably more importantly, a chance to pitch his way into trade candidacy. Clevinger was only able to make one start between his reinstatement from the injured list and the deadline.
That left the Sox to retain him for the remainder of a noncompetitive season. Chicago attempted to offload Clevinger’s salary by placing him on waivers in August. He went unclaimed, presumably because no other team wanted to take on the option buyout. The right-hander had an excellent August before a middling September. He concluded the year with a 3.77 ERA across 131 1/3 innings. Clevinger struck out a slightly below-average 20% of opponents against a solid 7.3% walk rate.
Turning 33 in December, he has a good chance to land a multi-year contract this offseason. While a two-year deal seems likely, it’s not out of the question he finds a three-year pact. That made it a fairly easy call for his camp to pass on the net $8MM deal with Chicago.
The White Sox will need to add multiple starting pitchers this winter. Dylan Cease may be the only pitcher certain to occupy a spot in the Opening Day five. Michael Kopech figures to battle for a job, while Garrett Crochet has angled for a rotation opportunity. Jesse Scholtens and Touki Toussaint occupied back-end roles for the stretch run.
lol
Wow that was not smart on his part. Dude is BP. If he is lucky he will get a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
2023 stats seem fine. Missing something?
Accusations
Yes but he was 100% cleared by the MLB. The MLB literally stated that they could find nothing whatsoever in terms of proof.
‘In a statement, the commissioner’s office said its investigation included interviews of more than 15 people, including Clevinger and a woman who said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child, as well as thousands of electronic communications and other documents.’
latimes.com/sports/story/2023-03-05/mike-clevinger…
He might have done ok for the Sox, last year in the playoffs in his only start they gave him a nice lead in the first that he gleefully handed right back. When on the biggest stage the dude folds like oragami.
He’s only been able to stay healthy for one full season, so I’m sure some teams will stay away. Pretty easy to justify taking a chance as a back end starter.
James Midway
Wow that was not smart on his part.
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I’d make a very substantial wager that Clevinger will exceed the net $8M he’s left on the table. And it won’t even be remotely close.
A 3-yr pact, less annually, but enough to see him through the rest of his career—if he can stay healthy—and even if he can’t.
As an added bonus, he won’t have to play for the White Sox.
Pretty good bet he will exceed that $8mm net in AAV. Thinking he could get 3/27 or 3/30
Had a pretty solid 2023 season…
No he didn’t. Nobody cares about ERA in 2023 Bob
Then go look at his savant page. Most metrics peg him as a roughly average pitcher, and that’s worth something on the open market. He was hardly “batting practice.”
You’re right but people care about WAR which was 3.3. He’d be a fine mid-back end guy, which make about $10M or more these days. He’ll do fine.
29th percentile whiff, 5th percentile GB. Average chase, average velo. Everything else is luck. He sucks
They don’t care about bWAR either
Stop speaking for everyone. I’m sure there is at least one person out there that cares,
Nobody that matters cares
Define “nobody”
Wavy gravy
Why is a poor whiff rate a skill issue but a good walk rate, hard contact rate, and exit velocity are luck issues? It’s fine to not like Clevinger the person, but Clevinger the pitcher is still good despite a low whiff rate because he limits hard contact and walks, both of which require skill to do. Also, his velocity among starters is probably a bit better than average since Savant includes relievers like Chapman and Bautista in that stat.
Limiting hard contact isn’t a skill. It’s highly variable from year to year
Keeping players off balance with your ability to mix speed and location is a skill, like it or not. Clevinger has been in the 63rd percentile or better in hard contact rate in 4 of the last 5 years. A one off year of good results may be luck, but 4 years of good results in 5 years points to a repeatable skill.
One players’ results over a 5-year span dont point to anything. Evidence from decades of data suggests otherwise
He’ll easily top $8 million per year in this soft FA market. Even if he is not at his best career wise, he is still going to be one of the top starters out there and a LOT of teams are in the market for starting pitching.
He just put up a 3.3 bWAR in 2023, I’m fairly sure he could turn that into at least $10-12M/year over 3+ years. Even if he doesn’t get more than $8M/season, he’ll get a multi-year deal and it won’t be for the crappy White Sox, sounds like it’s a win.
That being said, I hate watching him pitch, if ever there were guys I hope retire because of their mechanics, Clevinger is right at the top of the list… His multiple toe-taps drive me nuts. I’d rather miss my teams game than watch him pitch.
My brother in Christ if Zach Eflin could get 3/$40m clevinger despite being a POS will top the net $8mill, and prob command over $10m
Not the smartest move
He had a 3.3 bWAR last year. He is likely getting a 2-year contract at better than the $8M per he left on the table. I’d be shocked if he didn’t far exceed.
There’s also that other issue that no one in this thread is talking about.
No one’s talking about that because he was cleared of everything months ago.
Bauer?
@Brew88 Exactly. We saw what happened to him. Doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or not. Same with that punter.
Sad what happened to Araiza
Actually this was a mutual option. I thought it was a player option. So really not a risky move declining it. It was always going to be a 1 year deal. The mutual option served only to defer some of the money.
Optional or not, fun does come with risk, increasingly so these days. Some say it was mutual, but many witnesses say not. I think more like 2-5 year deal with parole but they punted the evidence.
Depends how you define “fun.” Which every person needs to define for themselves I suppose.
An admittedly risky move. He had a solid year performance wise but again couldn’t stay very durable.
I think with pitching at a premium and his ERA well below 4 and 24 starts to his name, someone might actually give him a prorated $20M value and offer him like 1 year/$15M or 2 years/$28M.
He just as easily might only match or slightly exceed $8M on the open market.
As long as he can get $8,000,001 he will have beat his option price. I think that’s do-able in this insane market where guys like Andrew Heaney are worth $15M-$20M etc….
Pitching is at the highest premium it’s ever been.
Had a 5.15 xFIP. K’d 7.5 per 9. Was terrible
XFIP is based on just forcing home run rate to league average even if it was well below. Just use FIP
Because HR/FB is mostly luck. xFIP is far more predictive
Didn’t A.J. Pollock do the same thing last year? Clevinger must not have enjoyed his season with the White Sox. Didn’t seem like the most fun year to be a part a part of that organization, admittedly.
Only players who do not want to be in an org that wants to win, but like a fat paycheck, come to an org like the White Sox.
Like Benintendi?
Benintendi is well overpaid for what he does (or doesn’t do sometimes in his case). He is a gamer, but one of a handful of current players that plays hard day in and day out. Guys who are playing hard seem to get moved or are relegated to playing out of position or being benched on this club..
I see him getting two years twelve million a year with a third-year mutual option or five million buyout.
Something amounting to 3/30 with a team option for a fourth year or a low buyout. He’s probably better than most teams fourth/fifth starter.
All he has to do is beat $8 million in guaranteed money to make this decision worth while, and I don’t think there’s any scenario where he doesn’t get that. Plus, he probably doesn’t want to stay with the White Sox given their clubhouse issues. Smart move in mu opinion.
No more sunshine for the Sox
“Ain’t no Sunshine
When she’s gone…”
Would the Padres want him back?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’d take him back, but I don’t think they’ll let me make that call.
Dude was pretty good, too bad that his good starts were wasted by the inability of the offense to back him up most of the time. Also, get out of dodge Clevinger!
He’s smart. Some GM will overpay him.
Probably, but he’s not a great clubhouse guy. Remember why the Guardians let him go?
Yeah, Probably Hahn 2.0 (Getz).
Dodgers will take a flyer.
O’s are a good fit. They could use 130 innings from Clev
With the vacancies in their rotation and budgetary constraints, I can see him returning to SD at around $12M/yr for 2 years.
After they extend Soto and sign Ohtani, Wacha, Yamamoto and Martinez they may have budget constraints
Clevinger isn’t worth 6 million
Ya that’s 3 per pigtail.
I’m out.
What a terrible contract by the white Sox ! Of course he’s gonna opt out and take another 4 mil for nothing
Mike Clevinger is taking his pee pee dance on the road one more time!.
Easy decision
Clevinger get a haircut bro.
I bet he’s very happy that psychedelic mushrooms are now legal in Oregon…ROAD TRIP !!!!!
Aren’t they legal in Colorado too?
Meh to the shaggy replacement level innings eater. He enjoyed his stay in Chicago (a little too much during Covid given his late night escapades w Tat Plesac which ultimately got him bounced out of Cleveland). But ultimately he did the sound thing since the class is so thin and he’s looking for security. White Sox much better off seeing what they have in Toussaint or Scholtens or bringing Gio back before prospects arrive in the latter half 24, early 25. Clev seems like the perfect mid range Oriole tho. A shaggier Kyle Gibson with that funky rocking motion
Gio can stay away, same with Lynn, but I have a bad feeling Getz will bring them both back and pay them handsomely for it, then act astonished when it blows up in his face.
Wait.. hold on, maybe they will not be here as neither were in the Royals org in their past…
They violated curfew during COVID and it got blown way out of proportion. I wouldn’t necessarily say that makes him a bad clubhouse guy. It was also a small get together of their friends.
Meanwhile the Marlins went out partying, had a clubhouse outbreak, and then infected half the Phillies. And somehow they got crapped on far less than Clevanger and Plesac.
If only his party was at the French Laundry…
Funny and fun that they made Plesac ride all the way back to Eastern Ohio in a rental car instead of riding the team charter once they learned he broke curfew. Prolly made him ride in the middle seat of a Ford Fiesta. And Clev flew back w the team and didn’t say anything until he got busted the next day when they reviewed security footage. Awkward
If he could stay healthy I’d take him