The White Sox are in agreement with right-hander Erick Fedde on a two-year, $15MM contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link). The deal is pending a physical. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported last night that Fedde, a client of the Boras Corporation, was nearing a two-year pact and named the White Sox and Mets as finalists.
Fedde returns to the majors after one season in South Korea. He’d signed a one-year, $1MM pact with the KBO’s NC Dinos last December. A few weeks earlier, Fedde had been non-tendered by the Nationals, with whom he’d spent his entire pro career up to that point. Within 12 months, he has dramatically raised his profile.
The 30-year-old righty turned in an excellent season for the Dinos. He pitched to a 2.00 ERA in 180 1/3 innings covering 30 starts. He struck out an excellent 29.5% of batters faced while walking under 5% of opposing hitters. As a result of that dominant showing, he was named the KBO’s Most Valuable Player.
Before his move to Korea, Fedde had a fairly nondescript run in Washington. The 6’4″ hurler was a first round draft choice in 2014. He received some Top 100 prospect attention as a potentially quick-moving college starter. Fedde got to the majors midway through the 2017 season but didn’t solidify himself in the rotation for a few years. He spent time on the injured list with shoulder inflammation during the 2018 campaign and bounced between the nation’s capital and Triple-A in ’19.
Fedde carved out a spot in the Nats rotation during the shortened 2020 campaign. He’d hold that role for the next three seasons, combining to log 310 2/3 innings over 67 appearances. The results weren’t great, as he posted a 5.42 ERA with a middling 18.1% strikeout rate. Rather than meet a projected $3.6MM arbitration salary last offseason, Washington moved on.
While surely a tough pill to swallow at the time, Fedde has come out ahead following the non-tender. This past August, he told the Washington Post’s Jesse Dougherty that he’d developed more horizontal action on his slider and tweaked the grip on his changeup as part of an overhauled approach in the pitching lab.
Between the repertoire adjustments and the dominance in a hitter-friendly KBO, Fedde secured the largest guarantee for a former affiliated pitcher returning from Korea. Each of Josh Lindblom, Merrill Kelly and Chris Flexen landed multi-year guarantees. Fedde is the first to cross the $10MM threshold, doing so rather handily.
The $7.5MM average annual value is a strong deal for the righty, although it could still turn out to be solid value for the Sox if Fedde can turn in league average results in the majors. Chicago is in desperate need of starting pitching. Dylan Cease had been the only pitcher on the roster who was clearly assured of a rotation spot and he’s widely expected to be traded. Fedde is almost certain to get a spot in the starting five, while Michael Kopech and trade pickup Michael Soroka have a decent chance at rotation roles. Jared Shuster, Jesse Scholtens and Touki Toussaint are also in the mix.
That’s still a lackluster group, particularly if the Sox wind up moving Cease. First-year general manager Chris Getz and his front office are likely to continue searching for starting pitching. The specific breakdown of Fedde’s contract has yet to be reported. If it’s distributed evenly, a $7.5MM salary would bring the Sox’s projected payroll (courtesy of Roster Resource) around $144MM. Getz has already suggested they’re not planning to approach their franchise-record spending mark, which topped $193MM, but they’re still more than $35MM shy of this year’s approximate $181MM Opening Day figure.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Mets6986??
That’s good news.
Ma4170
No fedde to mets… now i can sleep at night
padam
Couldn’t believe the Mets were considering him.
OIC2021
Guardians 1st runner up, but won the draft lottery
KCMOWHOA
Royals should’ve been on this guy. We need players like this that we can pay a little extra to or offer an extra season on and hope for the best. 3 years or extra 1-2 mil AAV probably would’ve gotten it done
LFGMets (Metsin7) #ConsistentlyBannedBaseballExpert
Thank god
Trotski
Maybe the Mets offered the more reasonable 2/$10 and the Sox REALLLY wanted him and went to 2/$15.
steelerbravenation
No trade Cease to the Braves damn it !!!
dpsmith22
He is going somewhere
10centBeerNight
Will the Long Island Loudmouths be relieved or will they rage out? Watch this space to find out:
brooklyn62
Dude…rage!
86mets
Trust me, no one Mets fan is shedding a tear over losing a AAAA pitcher to the ChiSox. Big sigh of relief actually.
brooklyn62
I was being sarcastic!
10centBeerNight
100%. There are better rolls of the dice for NYM back end available than Fedde.
NMK 2
If Fedde really did reinvent himself as a solid reliever, I’m disappointed we missed out. That said, the off-season is young and lots of talent is still available.
Haven’t checked the farm lately if we have any bullpen talent nearing a callup. Do know some backend starters are close, but shifting them to relievers is a loss in value, unless they become elite closers.
BaseballisLife
He was a starter in Korea.
Ma4170
@NMK for the mets? Not really, though if they transition Ziegler to RP he has potential. Nasty stuff and i feel profiles better as RP
Blue Baron
I wonder if Butto might be a good reliever or swingman a la Trevor Williams.
NewOrleansSaintsFan
Starter in KBO and also won MVP this year there. I think its a great signing for White Sox
SCOTTG3
180ip ain’t a reliever.
Roll
something tells me someone already partook of 10 cent beer night.
SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs
Sox opening day starter
avenger65
Ace of the staff with Cease all but gone.
NewOrleansSaintsFan
Cease no going any where, sorry to burst bubble
Catuli Carl
Finally. The first big domino has fallen. Now Ohtani can get a sense of what his market looks like.
brooklyn62
LOL…good one!
Roll
not until Cookie signs. Cant afford to sign ohtani if you sign carrasco.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Cookie Rojas? Though he retired
AHH-Rox
Maybe Aaron Cook. Also retired.
Chibird3327
Wow we needed pitching
Good signing Chris
stymeedone
Low cost move. Should at least get innings out of the guy, maybe more. Leaves money for other needs. At worst he’s the #5 for less than Lynn or Lyles.
BrianStrowman9
At worst he pitches like the AAA depth starter on the White Sox but it doesn’t really hurt them too much to try.
It’s heavy for a rebound candidate and the White Sox aren’t the gold standard for talent evaluation but there’s some upside.
avenger65
Chibirds: For Getz, this is like signing Ohtani.
Joel P
Why?
stymeedone
Because!
rynoresumes
what a hell of a deal. I would have signed this guy for way more than that. psyche!!!!! are the whitesox building a team that expects to break the losses record? This guy has been AAAA material and they sign this guy for what reason? this is not dumpster diving, this is chernobyl diving.
NewOrleansSaintsFan
At very least Sox didn’t resign Lynn & AAAA pitcher Giolito show that shuts down anothet year for Sox …Thank Gawd
CaseyAbell
One good year in Korea gets you $15,000,000. Yippie-yi-yay.
avenger65
rynoresumes: Since the Sox are a AAA team, a AAAA pitcher is looking pretty good.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Blah blah blurb White Sox
RandorBierd
This guy has been horrific. What reason could there be to pay above the league minimum for that kind of return?
avenger65
Way over the Sox cap by more than double. Even if he still isn’t good, he’ll probably look like HOFer on a mess like the WS.
Dumpster Divin Theo
Blah blah blah White Sox
GooseGoslinGuy
Fedde was more than exasperating. Hard to believe being in Korea brought him a mojo transplant. $15M for Erick Fedde? I’m going to assume hitters in KBO aren’t near as good as MLB, which means this is strictly a wait-and-see proposition. So he’s magically gotten his slider to move horizontally? (Where can I see footage of that?) For now, good luck, Erick, and way to grab a nice salary windfall. He went 20-6 in KBO, with metrics that would make Gerrit Cole jealous. Turns 31 in February also.
RobM
Did this guy make significant changes from when he last pitched in MLB? I hope so. For White Sox fans.
foppert1
I believe so. Can’t remember the specifics in the first article, but I think he added a pitch and changed the mix. Good on him. $15m is a good reward.
RobM
There are recent examples of MLB pitchers struggling here, going to Asia, and returning improved.
NYMETSHEA
Read that his slider has more horizontal action and he changed/altered his change up grip
hyraxwithaflamethrower
More than I thought he’d get. Sox must put a lot of stock in that KBO MVP.
Dumpster Divin Theo
For what they were throwing away on the likes of Bummer, Kelly and Graveman much to like here. That’s how to construct a staff.
BrianStrowman9
Pretty heavy for a rebound candidate from the KBO.
I bet quite a few pitchers are trying to get their teams permission to go overseas instead of riding the shuttle right now.
acoss13
The shuttle bus doesn’t get you a chance to rebound in the KBO and potentially land a nice chunk of change when going back to the States. I don’t blame them for going overseas.
Tom the ray fan
2 year deal at SEVENTEEN THIRTY-EIGHT million
whyhayzee
I guess he thinks he can do better on the White Sox than on the Mets? Or something. Because I would go where you have the best chance of success, not necessarily the highest bidder.
BrianStrowman9
This is more money than he’s made in his professional career. Enough to retire on. I would’ve signed on the south side.
BrianStrowman9
2.5x what he’s made in has career. You could go to the Rays but your arm might also fall off there.
It’s a different story for me if you’re a Lance Lynn and you’ve already banked a fortune
Dumpster Divin Theo
Or if you’re Lance Lynn and all that bank went in to your tummy
NYMETSHEA
Think the Mets were outbid for his services. Bet Mets did not want to deviate from 2 @ 10 million total area
avenger65
whyhayzee: The difference is, the Mets would probably use him as a back-end starter or in the bullpen. With the Sox, he’ll be their #1 SP.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
I don’t know anything about Erick with an unnecessary k at the end of his name but I guess this will be Leo Getz brothers biggest signing this winter
NewOrleansSaintsFan
Im sure he didn’t have much say about that unneccessary K to his name. You are like the most on here by cherry picking every thing about players just to get your post seen. WEAK WEAK
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
I really don’t care. I just like to quote movies when I get a chance. White Sox GM is Chris Getz. Leo Getz is a character from Lethal Weapon 2.
BaseballisLife
That is nearly twice what I thought he would get.
Dmac141414
Don’t sleep on Fedde. Sure he’s not the best known name out there, but he sometimes showed signs of brilliance with the Nats… but that was followed up by a terrible outing or two. Watch out if he puts it all together
Veejh
He doesn’t have a MLB put away pitch, that’s what he’s always lacked. Maybe some Kung Fu ninja taught him something, but I’m expecting more of the same Fedde. *shrugs*
GooseGoslinGuy
Some good outings. I’m hard-pressed to remember brilliance exactly. He labored a lot. His fastball tops out at 93 and he threw it 5% less in ’23, throwing more sliders and changeups instead. The proof will be in the pudding.
SupremeZeus
Hat tip to Boras on this K.
NoNeckWilliams
They’ll trade him at the deadline for a great prospect… which means $4 million for a top 5 starter next season.
runningwithnailclippers
So basically he is a $15 million dollar gamble? He wasn’t that good before, so did he suddenly find basebal Jesus in Korea or something?
NewOrleansSaintsFan
MAYBE as far as you know
Slow day at work
Slider Jesus
Camden453
Let me guess. The Mets were never in on Fedde, his agent planted a fake story, the White Sox fell for it, and gave him 5 more million
revolver
Lol. Pretty much.
p0wer0fmyth
Typical White Sox move. Looks like a Kenny and Rick move. So why exactly did Getz replace Rick Hahn?
Dumpster Divin Theo
Much to likey here. Good track record w former Nat pitchers.
avenger65
myth: Because Hahn was Reinsdorf’s scapegoat. jr cut Hahn’s budget, leaving him with virtually no room to sign quality players. Hahn, the architect of the Sox’ last rebuild which was a success, was let go in favor of someone who has no idea what he’s doing but will lick jr’s boots and is happy with his master spending even less for 2024.
IronBallsMcGinty
Hahns rebuild was a success??? Three different managers and two brief playoff appearances suggest otherwise.
cguy
The price of pitching is going up. Yamamoto, Snell, Montgomery, Suarez, etc. all going to get more than was originally estimated.
BrianStrowman9
I’d be cautious saying that bottom of the market deals really push up the very top of the market.
There’s less overlap in the teams that are signing guys like Fedde and also interested in signing Snell. I don’t think this will impact the top that much.
avenger65
Teams are waiting for Ohtani to sign. Then the “losers” can go after Snell, Yamamoto, etc. Ohtani’s signing will set the rest of the market.
Robrock30
Mets are bridesmaids once again Lol Mets
Brick House Coffee Tables Inc
$15M seems like an overpay. Is he really going to be that much better than Marco Gonzalez, who they could take on from the Braves for a box of Jim’s bone-in pork chop sandwiches and a case of Faygo.
DonCarl97
Well I guess team USA has lost a potential starter for the Premier 12 .
15 million guaranteed is a bit overpaid in my opinion, 10 would’ve been good or 15 for 3 years…
We’ll see how this turns out
DarkSide830
$7.5 per with that MLB track record. He better be much closer to Merrill Kelly then Josh Lindblom for that bread.
DonCarl97
He could either be Merrill Kelly or Lindblom, although Lindblom had better numbers than Kelly in KBO.
Kelly has been very good the last two years, I like him.
Fedde has had already experience in the MLB, so we’ll see how it goes
DonCarl97
I mean, if he got this amount, how much could potentially Bauer get?
The only question mark would be if any team would sign him, but Bauer could be a great addition to Marlins, D’backs and even the Twins
Dumpster Divin Theo
From Dinos to Dino-mite!!!! JJ Walker, your table is ready
Birdieman2
Hope that’s not $15M down the drain. 1 good year in South Korea?
Whifff
With all the holes in their rotation, sure why not. No problem with this move.
Southside Hitman
Now go get Trevor Bauer.
Veejh
I think he’s the steal of the offseason.
GooseGoslinGuy
Trevor Bauer is officially innocent. I wish the Nats would sign him.
MarlinsFanBase
Hey, the Mets made a good move!
SeeUonTheUlnarSide
I’ll polish that MVP trophy for Vidal Brujan’s acceptance ceremony…..
Go A’S East!!!
MarlinsFanBase
I’m not sure what this response is about. I was actually complimenting the Mets and criticizing the White Sox.
Did you want the Mets to sign this guy?
SeeUonTheUlnarSide
When 80% of your responses are digs at the Mets, it’s easy to read text with a sarcastic tone.
MarlinsFanBase
Yet, you got it wrong. Unless you really wanted the Mets to sign this guy. Did you?
SeeUonTheUlnarSide
Not for $30 million total (including the threshold tax).
gwynnpadreshof2007
Even if he is Merrill Kelly 2.0, that is still a good deal.
highheat
Let him have some success before you start entertaining that Merrill Kelly 2.0 tag; Kelly has actually produced results at the MLB level.
GooseGoslinGuy
Kelly spent 4 years in KBO: 48-32, 3.86, with a 1.31 WHIP. His MLB metrics improved after he returned from Korea. Now he’s 35.
revolver
This is why you never trust the stat line from a NPB player . I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy produces more value than Yamamoto over the course of his contract.
revolver
Or KBO
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Is it just me or are his stats rubbish? What is the benefit to this signing?
hyraxwithaflamethrower
He revamped his arsenal since he last pitched in the majors. Great results in the KBO. I’m cautiously optimistic, but the price is about right for a #4/5 innings eater.
Larry Lambert
I hope this doesn’t affect the Sox pursuit of Shohei Ohtani..
rotofool
Ohtani will be a hitter-only until at least 2025, which pushes the Fedde vs. Ohtani for that last SP spot until next off-season. By then they’ll likely have at least four young aces, so yeah it could be a headache. But it’s one of those “good” problems great teams must deal with.
jonb-4
when eric fedde would rather pitch for the White Sox you know you got a big problem!